
Kim Sae Ron's representatives disclose information in attempt to prove Kim Soo Hyun's alleged crimes
On May 7, attorney Bu Ji Seok of Law Firm Buyou, the legal representative of the late Kim Sae Ron's family, announced a press conference regarding actor Kim Soo Hyun's alleged involvement in a serious crime. The press conference, held at 2 p.m. (KST) in Gangnam, Seoul, was conducted with Kim Se Ui, the head of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute (Hoverlab), which has been releasing content pointing that Kim Soo Hyun was in a relationship with Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor and that he pressured her over debts following her DUI incident.
Prior to the press conference, Garo Sero Institute stated on their YouTube channel's community page, "This matter is extremely serious," adding, "You will understand once you see the contents of the press conference."
At the press conference, which strictly allowed journalists only, they stated the reason for urgently holding the press conference on such short notice: "There is a recorded phone call lasting about an hour and 30 minutes between the late Kim Sae Ron and the informant concerning matters related to Kim Soo Hyun. Kim Sae Ron gave consent for the call to be recorded. However, the informant who has the recording was attacked by an unidentified Korean-Chinese assailant. The informant was stabbed as many as nine times in the neck area with a knife." "The bereaved family earnestly requested that only a portion of the information be released before the situation gets any worse. This is clearly a case of incitement to murder."
(Attorney Bu Ji Seok)
They added, "The attack occurred on April 30, U.S. time. The perpetrators were a Korean and a Korean-Chinese who had entered through New York's JFK Airport. The case is not being investigated by New Jersey state police but by the FBI."
"We also requested an investigation by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. As previously stated, the informant was attacked with a deadly weapon and faced a life-threatening situation. According to the investigation results, the assailant was revealed to be an ethnic Korean of Chinese nationality (Joseonjok) who had entered the United States only a few days prior to the attack. The individual who brought the assailant to the scene of the attack was a Korean national who had entered the U.S. only recently. Accordingly, we have requested an investigation into the Korean individual's exact identity and the full details of the attack."
Garo Sero Research Institute and attorney Bu also released a recording of a conversation between Kim Sae Ron and the informant (Mr. A). In the recording, Kim reportedly disclosed details about her past relationship with actor Kim Soo Hyun. According to the audio, Kim Sae Ron said, "I dated Kim Soo Hyun oppa. You probably won't believe me and think I'm crazy, but we started dating when I was in middle school and broke up after I entered college."
"The first time I was with him was during winter break in the second year of middle school. Should I say I was taken advantage of? Everyone reacts the same way — they say I'm a crazy b****. They ask why I'm not doing anything about it or why I'm letting it go."
She continued, "Thinking about it now, it's all just ridiculous. I felt like I was being used since middle school. Soo Hyun and the people at Gold Medalist [his agency] are terrifying — they can do anything."
Kim Sae Ron also disclosed in the audio recording that she was being harassed by reporter Lee Jin Ho of the YouTube channel "Entertainment President Lee Jin Ho" and a reporter identified as Kang.
According to the recording, the late actress said, "I'm sincerely trying to start over [after the DUI incident], but whenever I try to do something, YouTube videos or articles twist it in a weird way. They don't know anything about my situation, but they make it out like, 'That b**** is being fake again, it’s all an act.'"
The recording suggested Kim Sae Ron seemed to struggle with hyperventilation and added, "This person, Lee Jin Ho, somehow finds out my number even after I change it," stating that he continued trying to contact her. She continued, "When a person who's a YouTuber or a journalist puts out articles or videos like that, the impact is huge."
Kim Se Ui stated that "Lee Jin Ho attempted to contact informant Mr. A." He claimed that after Mr. A provided his messenger ID, Lee Jin Ho found out A's phone number and attempted to call him. He also added, "An executive at Gold Medalist offered A 4 billion won," and "Lee Jin Ho said he would pay 1 billion won in exchange for the recording."
In the transcript disclosed by the representatives, Mr. A asked Lee Jin Ho, "Are you with Gold Medalist or reporter Kang?" to which Lee Jin Ho replied, "I'm not connected to Gold Medalist. But I communicate well with reporter Kang."
When A further asked, "Didn't you mention 1 billion won last time? Do you really have that much money?" Lee Jin Ho responded, "I'm putting everything on the line. I'll find a way no matter what. Just tell me how you want it."
Prior to the press conference, Kim Soo Hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, released a statement: "We express grave concern over the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute announcing a press conference for today, and spreading false information about Kim Soo Hyun, following their previous press conference." They added, “We earnestly ask that you verify the facts with us before publishing articles based on unconfirmed, one-sided claims, in order to prevent the unjust damage caused by the spread, amplification, and replication of false information."