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A New Development in the Case Kim Soo-hyun. On Monday, October 26, his agency, Gold Medalist, released the results of the police investigation into the complaints filed by the actor. After Kim Se-ui, who is already in custody, the police have forwarded to the prosecutor’s office the case files of several other individuals accused of participating in the dissemination of false information, including the mother of the late actress Kim Sae-ron. Kim Sae-ron’s father, however, is not under investigation.
Four people referred to the district attorney's office
According to the press release, the police have determined that there is sufficient evidence against two individuals named in Kim Soo-hyun’s complaints: Kim Sae-ron’s mother and a person who identified herself as the actress’s aunt. They are suspected, among other things, of defamation through the dissemination of false information, the distribution of private images, and attempted coercion.
The police also conducted an investigation on their own initiative into two other individuals who were not named in the initial complaints. They are Boo Ji-seok, the family’s attorney, who had held two press conferences in 2025, and Kwon Young-chan, who runs the YouTube channel «Kwon Young-chan TV.».
Both had already been named on October 15, during Kim Se-ui’s hearing, as among the witnesses the prosecution was considering calling.
What «referral to the district attorney’s office» means»
In South Korea, when the police determine that a crime has been committed, they forward the case to the prosecutor’s office. It is then up to the prosecutor to decide whether to file charges. The individuals involved are therefore neither charged nor convicted at this stage and are presumed innocent.
Conversely, the decision not to press charges against Kim Sae-ron’s father means that the police did not find sufficient grounds to charge him.
A case that continues to unfold
These announcements are part of a series of developments that have not gone in favor of the actor’s accusers. In mid-October, Gold Medalist had already announced that the allegations against Kim Soo-hyun regarding a violation of the Child Protection Act had been dismissed. A few days earlier, Dispatch revealed that certain conversations attributed to the actor were actually exchanged with another celebrity.
As a reminder, Kim Soo-hyun was accused in 2025 of having a relationship with Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor, a charge he has consistently denied. Kim Se-ui, founder of the Garosero network, is on trial for broadcasting these accusations. The next hearing in his trial is scheduled for October 28.
The full text of Gold Medalist's press release
Hello, this is Gold Medalist.
Below, we provide an update on the results of the police investigation into the various complaints and reports filed by Mr. Kim Soo-hyun and our company against the bereaved family of the late Kim Sae-ron and against an individual who posed as the deceased’s aunt, among others.
Following the indictment and detention of Kim Se-ui of the Garo Sero Institute in connection with this case, the accomplices who participated with Kim Se-ui in a series of offenses, including the dissemination of false information, have also been charged, and their cases have been referred to the prosecutor’s office.
Among the accomplices whose cases have been referred are the deceased’s mother and the person who posed as her aunt. The charges brought against them include violation of the Law on the Promotion of the Use of Information and Communication Networks and the Protection of Information (defamation by alleging false facts), violation of the Special Act on the Suppression of Sexual Violence Crimes (distribution of images taken with a camera or similar device), as well as attempted coercion. A decision not to refer the case was made regarding the deceased’s father.
In addition, the police conducted an investigation on their own initiative into accomplices who were not initially named in the complaints. Attorney Boo Ji-seok, who represents the bereaved family and who held two press conferences based on false and forged documents identified by investigators (falsification of KakaoTalk conversations, voice manipulation using artificial intelligence), as well as Kwon Young-chan, manager of the YouTube channel «Kwon Young-chan TV,» have each had charges filed against them, and their cases have been referred to the prosecutor’s office.
Mr. Boo Ji-seok was referred to the prosecutor’s office on charges of defamation under the Criminal Code and for violating the Act on the Promotion of the Use of Information and Communications Networks and the Protection of Information (defamation by alleging false facts). Kwon Young-chan has been referred to the prosecutor’s office for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (distribution of images taken with a camera or similar device).
We extend our deepest gratitude to the investigative authorities for their efforts, which—through a meticulous verification of the facts based on a considerable volume of documents and objective evidence—have brought to light the reality of the offenses and the identities of those responsible.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the outcome of this case; from the very beginning, they have been hoping that these last few individuals would be brought to justice.
