Home > National > Social Affairs

AI fabrication of Kim Soo-hyun audio cannot be determined, forensic agency says

Published: 16 Dec. 2025, 10:37 Updated: 16 Dec. 2025, 18:45

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

Actor Kim Soo-hyun attends a press conference in western Seoul on March 31, where he denied allegations of dating the late actor Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. [YONHAP]

Police said Monday that they could not determine whether an audio recording, which a YouTube channel claimed was proof of actor Kim Soo-hyun's relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor, was fabricated using AI.

The Seoul Gangnam Police Precinct received the assessment from the National Forensic Service (NFS) last month after requesting an analysis of the file, which was made public by the YouTube channel Hoverlab, otherwise known as Garo Sero Institute, according to sources.

The NFS told police it faced technical limitations in verifying the authenticity of the recording because it was not the original file and contained background noise that hindered analysis.

The recording was disclosed in May at a news conference held by Kim Se-ui, the operator of Hoverlab, alongside the attorney of the family of the late actor Kim Sae-ron. In the audio, Kim Sae-ron is heard saying she had been in a relationship with actor Kim Soo-hyun since she was a minor and that they first had sexual relations when she was in her second year of middle school.

Kim Se-ui, left, head of the YouTube channel Hoverlab, and attorney Bu Ji-seok, legal representative of the family of late actor Kim Sae-ron, hold a press conference related to actor Kim Soo-hyun at Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on May 7. [NEWS1]

Kim Soo-hyun’s representatives later filed a criminal complaint against Kim Se-ui for defamation and other charges, claiming the recording had been fabricated using AI. Police requested a forensic review of the audio from the NFS in August.

Police said they have not ruled out the possibility that the recording was manipulated and are conducting forensic examinations of Kim Se-ui’s mobile phone and tablet computer to verify the accuracy of the contents.

Park Jeong-bo, commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said investigators were nearing the end of the probe.

“We are in the process of wrapping up the investigation after receiving the forensic analysis results,” Park said at a regular news briefing on Tuesday. “I expect a conclusion to be reached soon through a review of the materials and evidence.”

Kim Soo-hyun is accused by Kim Sae-ron's family of dating the late actor when she was a minor and of causing her emotional and financial stress when she was under contract with Goldmedalist, an agency that was founded in part by Kim Soo-hyun. Kim Soo-hyun has denied all wrongdoing.

Kim Soo-hyun is also facing multiple suits for damages involving companies he was in advertising contracts with after the scandal caused the companies to pull the ads.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE, KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]