Kim Sae-ron dispute
On March 24, 2024, Kim denied dating rumors with late actress Kim Sae-ron, after a close-up photo of them that she briefly posted and deleted on Instagram circulated online. His agency, Goldmedalist, stated that the rumors were false, explaining that the photo was taken when they were under the same management and that they were unaware of her intentions in sharing it. The agency also warned against defamatory content. The actress died by suicide on his birthday in 2025.
In March 2025, additional allegations were made against Kim, stemming from statements and photos from Kim Sae-ron's family and the far-right YouTube channel Hover Lab. The family and Hover Lab alleged that Kim had been in a six-year-long relationship with Kim Sae-ron beginning in 2015, when she was 15 and he was 27. Goldmedalist subsequently denied the allegations, announcing plans to take the "strongest possible legal action" against the claimants.
On March 13, 2025, Goldmedalist announced that they would issue their position regarding the allegations the following week. The next day, the agency released a statement confirming that the two had dated, but claimed that their relationship began in 2019, when the actress was no longer a minor. The agency also denied that they pressured Kim Sae-ron into repaying a debt pertaining to the compensation of her 2022 DUI incident, and stated that they chose not to pursue repayment after acknowledging that she would not be able to pay off the debt. They opposed the assumption that Kim's leaked letter, which he had written and sent to Kim Sae-ron when she was 17, was intimate in nature, insisting that, "the expression 'I miss you' is a casual expression that a soldier using while serving in the military would use with close acquaintances." In response, Kim Sae-ron's mother criticized the agency, saying of their initial 2024 statement, "Goldmedalist also falsely portrayed Sae-ron as a confused young woman who lied, saying they 'don't know the intention' of the photo Sae-ron uploaded."
On March 17, 2025, Kim Sae-ron's family revealed that Goldmedalist had sent her a second set of legal papers seemingly threatening her for payment of her debt and forbidding her from contacting Kim and other Goldmedalist artists. They claimed this contributed to her mental distress and ultimately her death. However, the agency rebutted by stating that the papers were meant to offer an extended payment deadline and refuted any threats regarding communication with other actors.
On March 27, 2025, Bu Ji-seok, a lawyer representing Kim Sae-ron's family, appeared in a press conference on behalf of the family and provided what he claimed to be further evidence that Kim had dated Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor. The evidence also included text messages suggesting that Kim had engaged in a sexual relationship with Kim Sae-ron.
On March 31, 2025, Kim Soo-hyun held a press conference in which he denied the allegations.
In May 2026, the Seoul Gangnam Police Station announced that it had determined evidence against Kim Soo-hyun to have been falsified using a combination of image editing and artificial intelligence, which included an AI-generated voice clone of the late actress Kim Sae-ron. The police initially announced that they were seeking an arrest warrant for Kim Se-ui of Hover Lab for fabricating and distributing the edited materials to generate attention for his YouTube channel. On May 26, 2026, the Seoul Central District Court officially granted the arrest warrant, and Kim Se-ui was detained due to concerns that he might flee or destroy evidence. Furthermore, investigative authorities booked Bu Ji-seok—the attorney representing Kim Sae-ron's family who had previously held a joint press conference with Hover Lab—as a suspected accomplice.
In June 2026, YouTuber Kim Se-ui was placed in pre-trial detention on charges related to alleged dissemination of false information and defamation in connection with claims involving actor Kim Soo-hyun. The detention occurred during ongoing investigation and trial proceedings and does not constitute a final conviction. As of 2026, no final court ruling has been issued regarding the underlying allegations, and the related claims remain legally disputed.
Kim was met with widespread backlash in light of the allegations, with some calling for his removal from television programs, including MBC's variety program Good Day. Kim's upcoming drama Knock-Off, which was originally slated to be released through Disney+ in April 2025, had its schedule date temporarily postponed, and the filming was indefinitely suspended since April 2025. Kim's fan meeting event in Taiwan was also cancelled five days before it was originally scheduled to begin on March 30, 2025.
In response to the controversy, Kim's endorsed brands began either removing advertisements featuring the actor or terminating endorsement contracts altogether. Food company CJ Foodville, whom Kim was a longtime endorser for, announced that they ended their contract with Kim on March 14, citing the scandal. Ahn Ji-hye, CEO of cosmetics company Dinto, suspended their model-related schedules with Kim in response to the criticism surrounding the actor. In a brief statement, Italian luxury fashion brand Prada announced that they had mutually decided to end their collaboration with Kim.
On April 24, 2025, Cuckoo Electronics filed a request for the temporary seizure of approximately ₩100 million (equivalent to ₩117.23 million or US$87,468.18 in 2025) of Kim's personal assets. The 52nd Civil Court of the Seoul Eastern District Court approved the request on May 20. On May 8, 2025, Classys filed a request for temporary seizure of real estate against Kim, and the Seoul Eastern District Court approved the request on May 20, seizing Kim's apartment at Galleria Foret worth approximately 3 billion won. On June 18, 2025, four lawsuits against Kim from advertisers were confirmed, demanding a total of 7.3 billion won in compensation. On August 19, 2025, it was reported that six companies that previously collaborated with Kim on advertising (including Classys, Cuckoo Holdings Group, Cuckoo Electronics, Cuckoo Homesys, FromBIO, and Trendmaker) jointly filed a lawsuit against Kim and his agency Goldmedalist, demanding approximately 10 billion won in damages for violating the "image maintenance clause".
