Lee Jung Sub, the director of the 2017 film ‘Real’, has finally addressed the long-standing controversy surrounding the nude scene involving the late singer and actress Sulli. His statement comes after Sulli’s family requested a response from Kim Soo Hyun’s team regarding the circumstances surrounding the scene.
On March 28th, Lee Jung Sub took to his personal social media to comment on a previous tweet he had made about the change in directors during the film’s production. He stated clearly, “Someone recently mentioned that tweet again, probably because the actress is being talked about again. But let me be clear now that the film has been released — I had absolutely zero responsibility for how that film turned out. Thank you. It’s been painful for a long time.” This statement emphasizes his lack of involvement in the final version of the film.
Sulli’s older brother, Mr. Choi, revealed through Kwon Young Chan, head of the Korea Entertainment Suicide Prevention Association, that he first heard concerning details about the nude scene at Sulli’s funeral in 2019.
According to Choi, there were claims that a body double was arranged for the bed scene but was allegedly present on set, contradicting the explanation that she was absent due to illness. He expressed the family’s difficulty in verifying the truth due to Sulli’s passing and stated their desire to hear from Kim Soo Hyun’s side and Lee Sa Rang, who took over as director during post-production.
Mr. Choi raised several specific questions:
Was the explicit nature of the bed scene part of the original script? If not, what was Kim Soo Hyun’s stance on it?
Why wasn’t the body double used if she was reportedly on-site?
Was Sulli pressured into filming the nude scene herself?
What is the truth behind the claim that the body double was ill, especially since attendees at the funeral claimed she was present on set?
‘Real’ is a noir action movie that revolves around two men fighting over a large casino in Asia. Lee Jung Sub was the original director, but Lee Sa Rang—Kim Soo Hyun’s cousin and head of the production company—took over during post-production. At the time, the production company cited creative differences for this change.
Now, eight years after its release, ‘Real’ is facing renewed public attention due to the resurfacing of Sulli’s bed scene controversy and recent allegations involving Kim Soo Hyun. Lee Jung Sub has also shared social media posts critical of Kim Soo Hyun regarding claims that the actor had a romantic relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron when she was allegedly a minor. In a comment, Lee Jung Sub expressed strong disapproval, calling it “the same disgraceful tactic” and referring to the incident as “trauma XX.”
Kim Soo Hyun is currently facing allegations of dating Kim Sae Ron starting in 2015, when she was reportedly 16 years old. These claims were made by Kim Sae Ron’s family through the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute (HoverLab), alleging a relationship between 2015 and 2021.
Initially, Kim Soo Hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist, denied these claims as “entirely false.” However, they later adjusted their statement, saying the relationship began in 2019, after Kim Sae Ron had reached legal adulthood, following the release of alleged couple photos.
