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Kim Soo-hyun reportedly dated fellow actor during military service, complicating allegations

Published: 26 Apr. 2025, 09:52

SHIN HA-NEE
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Actor Kim Soo-hyun makes a statement regarding his relationship with late actor Kim Sae-ron during a press conference held on March 31 in western Seoul. [NEWS1]

Actor Kim Soo-hyun was reportedly in a relationship with an idol-turned-actor during his mandatory military service from 2017 to 2019, according to a local media outlet on Saturday.

The latest development could contradict claims made by the bereaved family members of the late actor Kim Sae-ron, who allege that Kim Soo-hyun dated Kim Sae-ron from 2015 — when she was still a minor — until 2021.

Media outlet MoneyToday exclusively reported on Saturday that Kim Soo-hyun was in a three-year relationship with an unnamed actor, who was then represented by the same agency as Kim, from 2016 to 2019, citing multiple industry sources.

“The relationship between the two was an open secret in the industry, so it’s highly unlikely [for Kim Soo-hyun] to have dated Kim Sae-ron at the same time,” a source with knowledge of the matter told the news outlet.

Since March 10, Kim Se-ui, the operator of the YouTube channel Hoverlab — which positioned itself as a representative of Kim Sae-ron’s family — has been accusing Kim Soo-hyun of dating Kim Sae-ron for six years, starting when she was only 15 years old, releasing multiple photos and alleged private messages between the two as evidence.

Kim Soo-hyun, while admitting that the two briefly dated in 2020, adamantly denies any romantic involvement when the late actor was still a minor.

Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, Goldmedalist, has pressed criminal charges against Hoverlab’s Kim Se-ui under the Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes.

The streamer’s dissemination of fake news and malicious rumors about the actor on his YouTube channel constitutes a violation of Korea’s stalking crime act, according to law firm LKB & Partners, which represents the agency.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [[email protected]]