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The’Kim Soo-hyun case took a new turn on October 13, 2026. According to an exclusive investigation by Dispatch, the 2016 KakaoTalk conversations used to accuse the actor of dating Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor were reportedly not actually exchanged with him. Police investigations reportedly identified the true sender: another entertainment figure, referred to as «A.».
Even more troubling, the media outlet claims that the name of this person appeared in the original conversations, but that the screenshots made public were allegedly altered to attribute the messages to Kim Soo-hyun. These revelations directly call into question one of the main pieces of evidence presented against the actor since the controversy began.
Police Examine Nearly 200 Screenshots of Kim Sae-ron
Investigators conducted a digital analysis of several phones that had belonged to Kim Sae-ron, including iPhone 7, 8, SE, and 13 mini models. They also examined nearly 200 screenshots of KakaoTalk conversations that the actress had saved to her N Cloud storage space.
Most of these screenshots displayed the caller’s name. However, on about ten of them, the caller was listed as «unknown.» This was particularly the case with messages from 2016 in which a man asked Kim Sae-ron when he could fall asleep holding her in his arms.
These exchanges had been posted on the Garosero YouTube channel as conversations between Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun, in order to support the allegations of a relationship that began while the actress was a minor.
But according to Dispatch, investigators reportedly found the sender’s real name in the original conversations. Kim Sae-ron herself reportedly mentioned the name of this person—referred to as «A»—at least twice.
The police also reportedly compared the writing styles of the various individuals involved: spelling, word spacing, colloquial expressions, and references to their professional circles. According to the media outlet, these elements are consistent with the messages sent by celebrity «A,» but not with those sent by Kim Soo-hyun.
The identity of this person has not been publicly disclosed.
Garosero accused of replacing the sender's name with «Kim Soo-hyun»
According to the media report, Kim Se-ui, the head of the Garo Sero Research Institute, allegedly asked an employee to replace the word «unknown» with «Kim Soo-hyun» in the transcripts of the 2016 conversations. That employee reportedly mentioned this instruction during his police interview.
The Korean media outlet also claims that the original footage contained segments that would have identified celebrity «A,» but that these elements were reportedly removed from the versions released to the public.
He thus directly calls into question the way Garosero and Kim Sae-ron’s family presented the conversations. According to Dispatch, the name of the other public figure was reportedly known before the screenshots were released, which raises the question of how much the people involved knew about the sender’s true identity.
Kim Soo-hyun’s attorney, Kho Sang-rok, also responded to these reports in statements carried by Starnews. He stated that the conversations made public contained no details that would identify Kim Soo-hyun as the person who made them.
He also points out that in June 2016, the actor was very busy filming the movie Real, with 18 days of filming during the month, including the day on which the controversial messages were sent. According to the attorney, the lack of information about the sender’s schedule in the screenshots that were released raises further questions.
Investigations reportedly found no evidence of a relationship in 2016
The media outlet also reports that an examination of Kim Sae-ron’s devices reportedly failed to uncover any evidence of a romantic relationship with Kim Soo-hyun during the period in question.
According to Dispatch, Kim Sae-ron reportedly saved the actor’s phone number in her contacts in October 2017. On the iPhone 7 she used between 2017 and 2018, investigators reportedly found only three calls between them.
The media outlet also reports that most of the photographs presented by Garosero to support the allegations were taken in 2019 and 2020, a period that corresponds to the version of events publicly defended by Kim Soo-hyun.
The actor has always maintained that his relationship with Kim Sae-ron began after she turned 18. At a press conference in 2025, he disputed the authenticity of the 2016 messages and presented a private expert analysis comparing various KakaoTalk conversations. His explanations sparked widespread skepticism and ridicule on social media.
The new information reported by Dispatch thus adds a different dimension: it is no longer just a comparison of writing styles, but the alleged discovery of the name of another person involved in the original conversations.
An ongoing legal proceeding and questions about the media coverage of the case
Kim Se-ui has been placed in pretrial detention and charged with several counts, including defamation, the dissemination of images, and harassment. Prosecutors accuse him, in particular, of having posted information they consider false about Kim Soo-hyun on 25 separate occasions, as well as of using a voice allegedly manipulated by artificial intelligence to support certain accusations.
Dispatch also reports that the programs covering the case generated approximately 169.4 million won, including 115 million won in advertising revenue and 54.4 million won in donations.
The second pretrial hearing in Kim Se-ui's trial is scheduled for October 15, 2026, at the Seoul Central District Court. The charges against him will be reviewed during this proceeding.
These revelations also raise a broader question: that of the media coverage of the case since 2025.
Among Kim Soo-hyun’s fans, one reaction in particular is worth noting: the satisfaction of seeing new information emerge in major Korean media outlets may be accompanied by deep frustration toward those who initially reported on the controversy. In particular, some criticize Dispatch for contributing to the damage to the actor’s image in 2025 and regret the lack of a public apology.
For Kim Soo-hyun, the issue now goes beyond just KakaoTalk conversations: it also involves the consequences of widely publicized allegations and the possibility of setting the record straight after more than a year of controversy.
