South Korean entertainment fans are buzzing after Lee Jin-ho, a well-known YouTuber and former reporter, dropped a surprising claim about the late actress Kim Sae-ron. For months, rumors have swirled that Kim Soo-hyun, a top actor, dated Kim Sae-ron in 2016 when she was underage. Now, Lee Jin-ho says that might not be true—and points to two other celebrities instead. Here’s the full story based on the latest updates as of April 07, 2025.
Fans won’t believe this twist: Lee Jin-ho says forensic evidence doesn’t pin Kim Soo-hyun as the mystery man in Kim Sae-ron’s 2016 chats. Could two other stars be the real story?
What Started the Kim Soo-hyun Rumors?
The drama kicked off when Kim Se-ui, head of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Research Institute (HoverLab), claimed Kim Sae-ron had a secret romance with Kim Soo-hyun starting in 2015 or 2016. At that time, Kim Sae-ron was only 15 or 16, while Kim Soo-hyun was in his late 20s. Kim Se-ui shared a KakaoTalk chat from June 24, 2016, saying it proved they were together.
Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, Goldmedalist, fired back fast. They called the claims “false” and “malicious,” saying the two only dated from mid-2019 to late-2020—when Kim Sae-ron was already an adult (19 in South Korea). The agency even sued Kim Sae-ron’s family and HoverLab for defamation, asking for 12 billion won (about $8.1 million) in damages.
The public split hard. Some demanded Kim Soo-hyun explain himself, while others said he shouldn’t have to prove a negative. Brands like Prada and Dinto dropped him, and his Disney+ show Knock Off got delayed. It’s been a mess.
Lee Jin-ho’s Big Claim: It Wasn’t Kim Soo-hyun
On April 07, 2025, Lee Jin-ho stepped in with a game-changer. He said the 2016 KakaoTalk chat doesn’t point to Kim Soo-hyun at all. Here’s what he found:
The chat doesn’t mention Kim Soo-hyun’s name.
No photos of him are in it.
The contact names are vague—like “ㅇㅇ” (a common placeholder), “불금” (short for “Friday night”), or “알수없음” (unknown).
Lee Jin-ho argued that for this chat to mean anything, it needs two things: forensic proof tying it to Kim Soo-hyun’s phone (like a user ID) and clear content linking him to the words. Right now, it has neither.
Then came the bombshell: Lee Jin-ho said he got a tip that Kim Sae-ron was actually talking to two other celebrities in 2016—not Kim Soo-hyun. He’s working to confirm if either of them dated her. This flips the whole story upside down.
Why the Forensic Evidence Falls Short
The KakaoTalk messages Kim Se-ui showed include flirty lines like “When can I hug you to sleep?” and “Even if you kissed me, I wouldn’t know.” They’re from June 2016, when Kim Sae-ron was a month shy of 16 (still a minor; South Korea’s age of consent is 16). But here’s the problem:
No one’s released the original phone data or user IDs to prove who sent them.
Kim Soo-hyun’s side says the chats are fake or edited, and they’ve submitted their own evidence to the police.
Kim Sae-ron’s family and HoverLab promised forensic results, but as of today, nothing public backs their story.
Lee Jin-ho stressed that without hard proof—like phone records or unedited files—these chats are just noise. Courts won’t touch them, and neither should the public.
The Other Side: Kim Sae-ron’s Family and HoverLab
Kim Sae-ron’s family and HoverLab aren’t backing down. They’ve shared photos—like one of Kim Soo-hyun kissing her cheek—and claim they have “thousands of documents” proving a six-year relationship starting in 2015. They say Kim Soo-hyun dated her as a minor, then ghosted her after her 2022 DUI scandal, pushing her toward suicide in February 2025.
They also accused Goldmedalist of demanding 700 million won (about $483,000) from Kim Sae-ron in 2024, after initially covering her DUI damages. Kim Soo-hyun denied this at a tearful press conference on March 31, 2025, saying her death wasn’t his fault and playing a recording to show his agency wasn’t hounding her for money.
HoverLab even hinted at darker claims, comparing Kim Soo-hyun’s actions to the Nth Room crimes (a notorious South Korean blackmail case), but they’ve held back details “to protect her family’s honor.” No proof has surfaced for that either.
Lee Jin-ho’s Credibility: A Mixed Bag
Lee Jin-ho’s no stranger to drama. He’s a former reporter turned YouTuber who’s faced heat before. Recently, he got a three-month broadcasting ban for videos about Kim Sae-ron that some called “stalker-like.” Her family sued him for defamation, blaming his content for her emotional distress.
Still, Lee Jin-ho’s latest take—that Kim Soo-hyun might not be the guy—lines up with the lack of solid evidence. He’s calling out Kim Se-ui for sloppy proof and suggesting the real story might involve other stars. Fans are split: some see him as a truth-seeker, others as a troublemaker.
Where Things Stand Now
As of April 07, 2025, no one’s won this fight. Kim Soo-hyun’s legally in the clear—no court has tied him to the 2016 claims. The forensic evidence Kim Sae-ron’s family promised hasn’t dropped, and Lee Jin-ho’s hint about two other celebrities is still just a rumor. Here’s the breakdown:
Kim Soo-hyun sticks to his story: he dated Kim Sae-ron as adults, not before.
Her family and HoverLab say he’s lying, but their evidence is shaky.
Lee Jin-ho says the chat might not even be about him, pointing to unnamed celebs instead.
The public’s tired of the back-and-forth. Kim Soo-hyun’s lost fans (his Instagram dropped from 21 million to 20.7 million) and deals, but skepticism’s growing about HoverLab’s motives. Without phone records or a smoking gun, it’s all he-said-she-said.
