The case in which the family of the late actress Kim Sae Ron and Kim Se Ui, CEO of the Garosero Research Institute, filed charges against actor Kim Soo Hyun for violating the Child Welfare Act and false accusation has effectively come to an end.
The late Kim Sae Ron’s family alleged in May last year that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor and engaged in so-called “grooming”, filing charges against Kim Soo Hyun for violating the Child Welfare Act (child abuse, coercion of sexual acts with children, mediation, sexual harassment, etc.).
Kim Se Ui, who had been continuously raising related allegations against Kim Soo Hyun, also filed a counterclaim against Kim Soo Hyun for false accusation after Kim Soo Hyun sued him for defamation.
At the time, the family claimed, “Kim Soo Hyun forced obscene acts and committed sexual abuse, such as sexual harassment, against the late Kim Sae Ron during her winter vacation in the second year of middle school while she was a minor.”
However, the Seoul Seongdong Police Station, which investigated the case, decided not to prosecute Kim Soo Hyun due to insufficient evidence for violations of the Child Welfare Act and false accusation charges on July 29. The police judged that it was difficult to acknowledge the charges after comprehensively reviewing the submitted materials and facts related to the allegations.
Now, according to Star News on September 7th, the prosecution returned the investigation files related to the charges against Kim Soo Hyun for violating the Child Welfare Act and false accusations to the police on the 3rd. This was about a month after the police decided not to prosecute on July 29 and transferred the files to the prosecution.
As the prosecution reviewed the files and returned them without requesting supplementary or reinvestigation from the police, the police’s decision not to prosecute remains intact. Accordingly, the investigation process, which continued for about one year and four months since the charges were filed, has practically concluded.
Although the complainant can still file an objection, it is currently considered that the case handling by investigative agencies has been settled. Legal experts view the likelihood of acceptance of any objection after the return of the files as low.
Lawyer Ko Sang Rok, the legal representative for Kim Soo Hyun, told Star News, “Under the Child Welfare Act, a ‘child’ means a person under the age of 18. This case investigated whether the claim that the late Kim Sae Ron dated Kim Soo Hyun until before she turned 18—her senior year of high school by Korean age, when she was 19—and whether there was any violation of the Child Welfare Act such as sexual or emotional abuse during that period, is true.”
He added, “The investigation was not limited to only a certain period of the deceased’s childhood but included up to the senior year of high school, which is generally recognized as the minor period, investigating all the raised allegations. The police examined both the claims and submitted evidence, as well as the relationship and relevant facts at the time, and concluded that there was no evidence to charge Kim Soo Hyun with violating the Child Welfare Act.”
The allegations surrounding Kim Soo Hyun began to spread widely last March when Kim Se Ui raised related claims on YouTube broadcasts.
Kim Se Ui has continuously claimed that Kim Soo Hyun dated the underage late Kim Sae Ron and held him responsible for her death. As a result, the release of the Disney+ series Knock Off, starring Kim Soo Hyun, was temporarily postponed.
Additionally, Kim Se Ui held a press conference on behalf of the family, releasing voice recordings of the late Kim Sae Ron and what he claimed were KakaoTalk conversations between Kim Soo Hyun and the late Kim Sae Ron.
However, investigative authorities determined that the voice recordings released by Kim Se Ui were fabricated by generative artificial intelligence (AI), and the KakaoTalk chat histories between Kim Soo Hyun and the late Kim Sae Ron were also fabricated.
Kim Se Ui was arrested in May on charges of spreading false information about Kim Soo Hyun, and the prosecution indicted him in June. The first trial was originally scheduled for the 14th of last month but was postponed because Kim Se Ui’s side requested a jury trial.
On the other hand, Kim Soo Hyun is accelerating his comeback following this investigation outcome. He shot for the Philippine clothing brand Bench on July 14 and has recently been active overseas, including attending the Mahakarya RCTI 37 special event marking the 37th anniversary of RCTI in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Kim Soo Hyun Remains Popular Despite Controversy With Kim Sae Ron
Kim Soo Hyun is also listed as a participant in the actor category at the Asia Artist Awards (AAA 2026) scheduled to be held over two days on December 5 and 6 at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung.
With the police’s decision not to prosecute on grounds of lack of evidence for the violation of the Child Welfare Act and false accusations maintained without the prosecution requesting re-investigation, the criminal proceedings involving Kim Soo Hyun have effectively concluded.
Attention is now focused on whether Kim Soo Hyun will fully resume his activities in South Korea in the near future.