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The case between Kim Soo-hyun to the founder of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute The case continues to move forward. On June 23, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office announced that it had indicted Kim Se-ui, a representative of the Garo Sero Institute, who will now stand trial while remaining in pretrial detention.
This decision comes after several months of investigation into content posted about the actor.
Five charges filed
According to the prosecutor's office, Kim Se-ui is being charged with several offenses, including:
- defamation through the dissemination of false information; ;
- violation of the law on sexual violence regarding the distribution of private images; ;
- violation of the anti-harassment law; ;
- attempted coercion; ;
- threats.
Investigators accuse him of repeatedly posting content targeting Kim Soo-hyun between March and December 2025. Among the allegations are videos claiming that the actor had a relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor.
According to the prosecutor's office, these claims were allegedly supported by altered KakaoTalk conversations as well as audio recordings that proved problematic during the investigation.
The findings of the investigation confirm the suspicions
In its press release, the prosecutor’s office stated that it had continued its investigation after the police turned the case over to it. The prosecutors explained, in particular, that they had conducted further investigations, including interviews with the victim and a forensic analysis of the audio files by the prosecutor’s office’s forensic unit.
According to the authorities, the investigation found that certain documents may have been altered or submitted without sufficient verification.
The prosecution stated: «It has been clearly established that the defendant distorted certain facts by altering them arbitrarily or disclosed details of the victim’s private life without conducting even a minimal fact-checking process, thereby causing significant harm.»
Prosecutors also stated that they intend to enforce a zero-tolerance policy regarding the dissemination of false information online: «We will respond firmly to creators of malicious content who spread false information and encourage smear campaigns under the guise of public interest or private justice.»
A report that echoes MBC's recent revelations
This indictment comes just a few days after the broadcast of the MBC report on the case. In particular, the program had claimed that certain KakaoTalk conversations attributed to Kim Soo-hyun had been altered and that Garo Sero employees were allegedly involved in those alterations.
The report also noted that the audio recording—which had been presented for several months as key evidence—had never been authenticated by the relevant authorities. These facts had already contributed to raising doubts about the charges against the actor.
A favorable environment for Kim Soo-hyun's return
In recent weeks, Kim Soo-hyun's situation already seemed to be changing. His agency had recently announced his participation in an advertising campaign for the Philippine brand Bench, which is set to be his first official activity since the controversy began.
However, Kim Se-ui’s indictment does not bring the case to a definitive close. The trial will now determine the criminal liability of the founder of the Garo Sero Institute, and other details of the investigation concerning Kim Sae-ron’s family—who are also implicated in the charges against Kim Soo-hyun—are expected to come to light.
But this latest legal development is undoubtedly one of the most significant developments in the case since it first came to light.
