Kim Soo Hyun: K-drama actor allegedly pursued underage late Kim Sae-ron despite being rejected at first

These revelations come amid accusations that then 27-year-old Soo-hyun pursued Sae-ron, then 15, despite their 12-year age gap. In a recent interview, Sae-ron’s aunt alleged that Soo Hyun was the one to initiate contact and actively pursued a romantic relationship with the actress.

The aunt said: “Her family initially did not know about the relationship until they felt that something was off. Kim Soo Hyun often sent Sae Ron photos of him in the military. One day, before he went to the military, he kept contacting her. He also kept sending her photos of himself in the military. That’s when we thought something was weird and found out. We were very against it.”

The aunt also claimed that Sae-ron initially tried to reject his advances, questioning his sincerity because of the age gap.

“Yes, she told us that. Of course, she wouldn’t have directly told her mum at first that she was dating someone. Because she kept receiving personal photos from him, we found out and tried to stop her. Sae-ron said she told him not to fool around with a young kid like her. What do you think he would’ve said to her to make her date him?

“He said things like he sincerely valued her, he was serious about her, things like that. He was totally serious when he said that to her. Of course, she knew he was way older. She told him not to mess around with her, not to joke. We know about that because Sae Ron told us later on. But she said he was serious about it.”

Soo Hyun, known for his role in Queen of Tears, has been facing intense backlash after Sae-ron’s aunt publicly accused him of dating the late actress when she was just a child. The alleged relationship lasted six years, from 2015 to 2021.

Sae-ron was found dead in her apartment last month at age 24, and allegations have surfaced that she took her own life on February 16, which was Soo Hyun’s birthday. Korean news outlets have also obtained photos of the two posing closely, including one initially uploaded and quickly deleted by Sae-ron in March 2024.

Soo Hyun has also been accused of attempting to extort millions from Sae-ron through his agency, Gold Medalist, which represented her until her DUI incident. According to Sae-ron’s aunt, the company initially demanded ₩20.0 billion KRW (about $13.7 million USD) in penalty fees before reducing it to ₩700 million KRW (about $480,000 USD) and offering to cover the cost. However, in 2024, Gold Medalist allegedly filed a lawsuit demanding repayment of the sum.

According to her aunt, Sae-ron joined Gold Medalist after her contract with YG Entertainment ended, a decision heavily influenced by her relationship with Soo Hyun.

The aunt said: “Later on, when he made his company, he promised to take care of her because he loved her. He talked about it as if he would take responsibility for her. That’s why she left YG Entertainment when her contract was ending. Normally, people would shop around for agencies, but she went there because they were dating.”

Following the latest revelations, an alleged first photo of Soo Hyun and Sae-ron together surfaced online, sparking public outrage. In the picture, Soo Hyun can be seen wrapping his arm around a visibly young Sae-ron.

Further evidence of their relationship allegedly includes letters and postcards exchanged between the two. A recently surfaced postcard from Soo Hyun to Sae-ron, dated November 1, 2019, was reportedly sent while he was in Paris.

“Saero-Nero (nickname), I had a drink in Paris. There’s no souvenirs today, so I bought a postcard and took hold of a pen, becoming a person who nags. I love you, Saero-Nero. You make me so proud Saero-Nero, you’re so amazing. I’ll be sorry to you every day.” He signed the postcard using an alias and referred to Sae-ron by his personal nickname for her, avoiding the use of real names to maintain secrecy.

Soo Hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist, has since denied all accusations, stating that the claims are false and defamatory.