South Korean Police Seek Arrest Warrant for YouTuber Over Faked Actor Defamation Evidence
South Korean police are seeking an arrest warrant for a YouTuber, Kim Se-ui, who allegedly fabricated evidence that defamed prominent actor Kim Soo-hyun, precipitating the end of his career. Authorities contend the YouTuber manipulated screenshots of text messages and disseminated an AI-generated audio file to falsely imply the actor had a relationship with actress Kim Sae-ron when she was underage.
These allegations emerged last year, following Kim Sae-ron's death at the age of 24. The subsequent scandal profoundly impacted Kim Soo-hyun's career, despite his consistent denials. Police assert that Kim Se-ui knowingly spread these false claims for financial gain, leading to the collapse of Kim Soo-hyun's "social base and his economic activities across the board," according to a police filing. Kim Soo-hyun is reportedly still undergoing psychiatric treatment.
The YouTuber, who commands nearly a million followers, had posted a voice recording online, purportedly of Kim Sae-ron claiming to have dated Kim Soo-hyun since middle school, alongside screenshots of supposed text exchanges. Police now state the voice recording was AI-generated and the text messages were manipulated. Kim Se-ui has dismissed these accusations as a "subterfuge meant to disrupt his investigation."
The actor, once a fixture in hit television programmes and advertisements, has not made any public appearances since the scandal broke, and a Disney+ series he was working on, Knock-Off, has been indefinitely postponed. Kim Soo-hyun initiated criminal complaints and lawsuits against the YouTuber and Kim Sae-ron's family in March 2025, after admitting to dating the actress as an adult but vehemently denying any relationship while she was underage.
