Actor Kim Soo-hyun (left) and Kim Se-eui, head of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute [Yonhap]
Actor Kim Soo-hyun (left) and Kim Se-eui, head of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute [Yonhap]

Actor Kim Soo-hyun's agency has warned that anyone who continues to spread allegations about him dating a minor — claims that have since been ruled false — could face criminal liability, signaling its intent to pursue legal action.

Gold Medalist, Kim's agency, said Wednesday that police had closed the case against Kim under the Child Welfare Act with a finding of "no grounds for charges," adding that the matter was "no longer a wasteful debate over unverified facts, but a clearly established falsehood confirmed through a credible investigative outcome."

The allegations centered on claims that Kim had dated actor Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor. Kim Se-eui, head of the Garosero Research Institute YouTube channel, made those claims last year, but a police investigation found them to be false. KakaoTalk messages that Kim Se-eui had presented as evidence were found to have been fabricated to make Kim Soo-hyun appear to be the other party in the conversation, when in fact he was not.

Gold Medalist said Kim Se-eui had been indicted and was in detention facing charges including defamation through the publication of false facts. The agency urged the public to recognize that continuing to quote, repost, share or redistribute what Kim Se-eui claimed as though it were true "constitutes an additional unlawful act that endorses his criminal conduct and perpetuates and expands the harm caused by it."

The agency said it would treat the resharing of posts related to the false claims — including the distribution of broadcast screen captures and edited images — as deliberate and malicious criminal acts. Gold Medalist said such conduct could result in aggravated criminal punishment and increased civil damages, and made clear that indirect defamation using abbreviated initials or other workarounds would be subject to the same legal response without exception.

The agency warned: "Please delete any related posts immediately. Whether you voluntarily remove them may be taken into account in sentencing and the calculation of damages in future legal proceedings; however, taking down a post does not extinguish criminal or civil liability for the unlawful act already committed."

Gold Medalist urged the public not to "recklessly follow the false claims and illegal conduct of an indicted criminal and thereby expose yourselves to unnecessary legal consequences, including criminal punishment and civil damages claims."


paq@heraldcorp.com