Kim Soo Hyun has been cleared of charges of violating the Child Protection Act after Seoul police decided not to pursue the case. The charges stemmed from claims that the actor was in a relationship with an underage teenager.
As reported by Yonhap News on July 29, 2026, the case involves a complaint filed by the family of the late actress Kim Sae Ron in May of last year. They accused Kim Soo Hyun of having a relationship with Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor, in violation of the Child Protection Act.
At the time, Kim Sae Ron's family held a press conference with the YouTube channel HoverLab, also known as the Garo Sero Research Institute. In the conference, they claimed, "Kim Sae Ron has been in a relationship with Kim Soo Hyun for about six years since the age of 15."
They also released a voice recording allegedly from South Korean actress, Kim Sae Ron, which sparked widespread controversy. Kim Soo Hyun's side initially denied the dating rumors.
However, as the controversy escalated, his agency changed its statement, stating that the two were indeed dating from 2019 to 2020, after Kim Sae Ron became an adult. The agency continues to deny claims that they were involved in a relationship while Kim Sae Ron was a minor.
Kim Soo Hyun then filed a complaint against Kim Se Eui, the manager of HoverLab, for defamation related to the statement. Kim Se Eui is currently being detained and indicted on various charges, including defamation and violating the Sexual Crimes Act.
Following Kim Se Eui's arrest, Kim Soo Hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, issued a statement stating, "The investigation confirmed that the various accusations and evidence submitted by HoverLab regarding Kim Soo Hyun are untrue."
The agency continued, "The KakaoTalk messages involving the late Kim Sae Ron that were revealed during the press conference were found to have been manipulated by changing the conversation to someone other than Kim Soo Hyun.
The late actress's voice recording was also confirmed to be manipulated using AI technology." With this decision, Kim Soo Hyun can continue his career without the burden of unproven allegations.
The public is eagerly anticipating his future acting comeback, although some industry observers have suggested that romantic roles may not be a viable option for the actor upon his return to the small screen.
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