Kim Soo-hyun’s agency denies allegations, calls recordings AI-fabricated and photos misleading

Kim soo-hyun / Xportsnews

Actor Kim Soo-hyun’s legal representatives have denied recent allegations made by YouTube channel Hoverlab, also known as Garosero Research Institute, asserting that the evidence presented against the actor is either falsified or misleading.

On Wednesday, Kim’s legal counsel from LKB & Partners issued a statement responding to YouTuber Gaseyeon’s claims that it had obtained a voice recording involving the late actress Kim Sae-ron. According to the law firm, the audio file in question was “entirely fabricated” and believed to have been created using artificial intelligence. They further asserted that the individual who shared the recording with Gaseyeon had previously contacted Kim’s agency and demanded money in exchange for the audio, which the agency rejected.

At a press conference held the same day, Gaseyeon presented a photo that it claimed was of the wounded whistleblower. Kim’s legal team responded by stating that the image was a stock photo that could be easily found through internet search engines, and provided screenshots of the search results as evidence. They accused Gaseyeon and the informant of misrepresenting the image as documentation of a real attack.

The agency characterized the press conference as a “cyberattack” intended to damage Kim Soo-hyun’s reputation. It claimed the incident amounted to defamation, stalking, digital sexual violence and evidence tampering. They announced their intention to file legal complaints under the Stalking Punishment Act and the Information and Communications Network Act, and vowed full cooperation with law enforcement to ensure accountability.

Earlier that same day, Gaseyeon claimed that a whistleblower in possession of recordings implicating Kim Soo-hyun had been attacked by two individuals allegedly from Korea and China. The YouTube channel framed the incident as a murder attempt and presented photos as supporting evidence — now being challenged as inauthentic by Kim’s legal team.

This article from Xportsnews is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.