Late actress Kim Sae Ron's family claims she dated Kim Soo Hyun for 6 years, agency denies allegations

South Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun firmly refuted allegations that he had been in a long-term relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron, who passed away at age 24.

In a video uploaded on Mar. 10, YouTube channel Hoverlab featured a testimony from one of Kim Sae Ron's aunts, claiming that the actors dated for six years, beginning when she was 15 and he was 27.

Hoverlab, also known as Garosero Institute, has built a reputation for its exposés on Korean celebrities.

Kim Soo Hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, later issued a statement denying the accusations and announced plans to take legal action against Hoverlab, according to The Korea Times and The Korea Herald.

The two actors had previously been signed under the same agency.

Company refutes dating allegations

In the video uploaded on Mar. 10, the family also provided Hoverlab with a photo of the two actors, supposedly taken when the actress was just 16 years old.

This was the same photo the late actress had shared and later deleted on Mar. 24, 2024, on Instagram.

At that time, Gold Medalist had also denied dating rumours, saying they were not aware of the actress's intentions in posting the picture.

Gold Medalist continued to deny the allegations on Mar. 10, calling them "clearly false and baseless" and vowed to pursue "the strongest possible legal actions" against Hoverlab for "spreading falsehoods".

More claims from family

However, the controversy continued to intensify after Hoverlab released additional materials on Mar. 11, provided by Kim Sae Ron’s family.

These materials include a text message sent by the actress and a previously unseen photo of the two, taken when the late Kim was still in middle school, according to her family’s allegations.

“Oppa, it’s Sae Ron. I received the certified letter. You’re suing me... I’ve been preparing for my return to acting, and I plan to repay you gradually from each project. It’s not that I won’t pay, but I can’t manage 700 million won (S$643,000) all at once. Please give me some time. I’m begging you, please help me.”

The message, dated Mar. 19, 2024, went unanswered.

According to Hoverlab, Gold Medalist initially paid the 700 million won (S$643,000) compensation related to the actress's 2022 drunk-driving incident but later sought repayment from the late Kim through legal action.

On Mar. 12, the YouTube channel went live to share more details from the family, including more photos of the pair and a letter allegedly written by Kim Soo Hyun expressing his love for her.

Kim Sae Ron

Kim Sae Ron was found dead at the age of 24 at her home in Seoul on Feb. 16, 2025.

She had been battling intense negative media attention and online hate following a drink-driving conviction in 2022.

Following her conviction, she was spotted working part-time jobs at cafes and was reported to be slowly preparing for her comeback to the acting industry.

The day she died was also Kim Soo Hyun’s birthday.

The late Kim was represented by Gold Medalist from 2019 to 2022, until her drink-driving controversy.

Gold Medalist is said to be co-founded by a relative of Kim Soo Hyun.

Related articles

Top photos from Hoverlab/YouTube