In an unexpected development, actor Kim Soo-hyun’s agency GOLDMEDALIST has released an official statement earlier than initially planned, addressing the ongoing controversy surrounding his relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron.
The agency had previously announced they would present their statement by next week with substantiated evidence. However, citing concerns over Kim Soo-hyun’s psychological wellbeing, they accelerated the timeline and issued a comprehensive statement on the morning of 14 March.
According to GOLDMEDALIST, Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron were indeed in a relationship, but it occurred between summer 2019 and fall 2020. These dates showed that the actress had already reached adulthood. The agency denied allegations that the relationship began when she was a minor.
“It is not true that Kim Soo-hyun dated Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor,” the statement reads. “The photos shared by Kim Sae-ron on her Instagram Stories on 24 March 2024 and those shown in HoverLab’s broadcast on 11 March 2025 depict private moments of the two during their relationship in the winter of 2020.”
The agency refuted claims made by YouTube channel HoverLab, which had recently published photos allegedly showing the two together when Kim Sae-ron was 15 years old. GOLDMEDALIST states they have secured metadata proving the controversial photos were taken on 24 December 2019, when Kim Sae-ron was an adult.
Regarding financial matters, the agency denied allegations that they pressured Kim Sae-ron to repay 700 million won (approximately USD481,300) related to her drunk driving incident. Instead, they claim GOLDMEDALIST “paid off the entire remaining debt that Kim Sae-ron could not handle” and had worked with her to minimise her financial burden.
The statement further revealed that on 26 March 2024, Kim Sae-ron’s legal representative had formally acknowledged the financial support, stating: “We would like to express our gratitude for the sincerity your company has shown to our client over the past period, and along with this, we wish to convey our intention to take responsibility for the damages your company has incurred.” At that time, both parties had agreed to coordinate a repayment plan through mutual agreement.
GOLDMEDALIST emphasised that following this exchange, they processed the entire claim against Kim Sae-ron as an “uncollectible accounts expense” and had “not demanded repayment even once” afterward. The agency maintained that from Kim Sae-ron’s perspective, “she understood she was completely free from her debt to GOLDMEDALIST.”
The agency concluded by calling allegations connecting these financial matters to her death a year later “an unreasonable claim and excessively malicious speculation,” stressing that GOLDMEDALIST had always been understanding of “the difficult circumstances of our former actress Kim Sae-ron.”
The agency also disclosed that Kim Soo-hyun is currently experiencing “severe psychological instability” following the controversy where he has been falsely portrayed as “the devil who drove Kim Sae-ron to her death.”
GOLDMEDALIST added that individuals with cameras have been stationed outside their company premises, adding to the psychological pressure on the actor.
(Photo Source: Kim Soo-hyun IG, Kim Sae-ron IG)