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A Seoul court on Monday rejected a petition by Kim Se-eui, head of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute, to review the legality of his detention. Kim, who is being held on charges of spreading false information about actor Kim Soo-hyun, argued that his continued detention was itself causing harm to the reputation of the late Kim Sae-ron.
The 8th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by judges Cha Seung-hwan, Choi Hae-il and Choi Jin-suk, held a hearing Monday afternoon on Kim Se-eui's petition challenging the legality of his detention on charges including defamation, intimidation and attempted coercion. The court dismissed the petition, saying there were no grounds to grant it.
Kim had filed the petition on May 31, five days after being taken into custody. The review process allows a court to reassess whether a detention is lawful and necessary.
With Kim's detention upheld, police — who have been investigating the case for more than a year — are expected to soon refer it to prosecutors after wrapping up their inquiry into allegations that Kim pressured Kim Soo-hyun's side.
Kim Se-eui faces charges of spreading claims on YouTube and other platforms that Kim Soo-hyun had dated the late Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor, and that pressure from Kim Soo-hyun's side over debt repayment contributed to her death.
He also faces charges of using AI to manipulate Kim Sae-ron's voice to fabricate audio in which she allegedly said she first had sexual relations with Kim Soo-hyun during winter break of her second year of middle school, damaging the actor's reputation.
After the roughly one-hour hearing, Kim Se-eui emerged from the courtroom with his hands bound and maintained that his detention was enabling further defamation of the late Kim Sae-ron.
"Now that I am detained and unable to respond actively, certain forces have been waiting for this moment to spread serious false information and defame both me and the bereaved family of actress Kim Sae-ron," he said.
He added that a pending civil lawsuit aims to restore the honor of Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family. "But because I am detained, it could appear as though all of my claims and those of the bereaved family are lies," he said.
He said he was being subjected to "absurd attacks" and expressed a sense of injustice over his situation.
The Seoul Gangnam Police Station applied for an arrest warrant on May 14 on charges including defamation and violations of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes. The court approved the warrant, and Kim Se-eui was taken into custody on May 26.
yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com
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