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Cops intervene in Hoverlab livestream about Kim Soo-hyun

Published: 16 Jun. 2025, 16:13 Updated: 16 Jun. 2025, 16:15

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Hoverlab host Kim Se-eui attends a press conference at Space Square in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on May 7. [NEWS1]

Seoul police intervened in a Friday livestream by controversial YouTube channel Hoverlab after the broadcast appeared to breach a court-issued antistalking order involving actor Kim Soo-hyun.

Officers were dispatched to Hoverlab’s Sinsa-dong studio in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, around 7 p.m., following viewer reports that the stream’s thumbnail — featuring Kim’s name and image — violated an injunction issued by the Seoul Central District Court. The court order bars Hoverlab from referencing the actor in any form of content.

Police issued a verbal warning to Hoverlab host Kim Se-eui before leaving the premises. Authorities declined to elaborate on the nature of the warning.

“Police rang the doorbell during the livestream,” Kim said on air, calling the incident “suppression of press freedom.”

The court order, originally issued on April 23, directs Hoverlab to cease all stalking-related behavior targeting Kim Soo-hyun.

Actor Kim Soo-hyun speaks during a press conference addressing allegations that he dated the late actor Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor at Stanford Hotel in Mapo District, western Seoul, on March 31. [YONHAP]

The order followed a series of allegations from Hoverlab suggesting the actor had a past relationship with the late actor Kim Sae-ron during her teenage years — claims denied by Kim Soo-hyun. Kim Se-eui appealed the order, but the court dismissed it.

The actor has since filed multiple legal actions against Kim Se-eui and Hoverlab, including a criminal complaint for alleged violations of antistalking law, defamation and breach of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, as well as a civil suit seeking 12 billion won ($8.82 million) in damages. Kim Soo-hyun’s legal team has also secured court-approved provisional seizures of Hoverlab’s real estate and donation accounts.

Meanwhile, Kim Se-eui continues to dispute the charges, having held a news conference in which he claimed to have obtained an audio recording from a U.S.-based acquaintance of Kim Sae-ron. The late actor's family has responded by filing a child welfare complaint against Kim Soo-hyun, prolonging the legal battle.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]