Kim Soo Hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist has denied allegations of Kim Soo Hyun’s underage relationship with the late Kim Sae Ron. They stated, “Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron dated from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020 when she was already an adult.”
The agency initially planned to release a statement next week regarding Garo Sero Research Institute’s (also known as HoverLab Inc.) report. However, they decided to issue it earlier than scheduled due to Kim Soo Hyun’s severe emotional distress.
Gold Medalist revealed that Kim Soo Hyun suffered extreme mental turmoil due to the YouTuber’s claims that he was responsible for Kim Sae Ron’s sudden passing. They added that vehicles with people holding cameras were stationed across from the company’s entrance on the night of March 12th and individuals with cameras were seen lingering around the building and in the parking lot around lunchtime on March 13th until dawn.
1. Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron’s Dating Rumors
Gold Medalist clarified that Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron dated from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020 and denied any relationship when Kim Sae Ron was a minor in 2016. As evidence, they noted that a photo Kim Sae Ron posted on her Instagram Story in the early hours of March 24, 2024, and another shown on the YouTuber’s broadcast on March 11, 2025, were both taken on the same day in the winter of 2020. Furthermore, Kim Sae Ron’s outfit in the photos was from a clothing line released in June 2019, disproving claims that the images were from 2016. They also explained that a letter Kim Soo Hyun sent to Kim Sae Ron during his military service was a casual note to a friend, not a romantic letter as Garo Sero Research Institute misrepresented.
Additionally, Gold Medalist clarified that the informant on the YouTube show was not a family member of Kim Sae Ron but an acquaintance of her late mother. The agency asserted that this informant’s photos had been used to distort Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron’s private lives, causing widespread misinformation and pain to the deceased and those around her.
>> Kim Soo Hyun’s Kiss Photo and Kim Sae Ron’s Desperate Text Message Shock Fans
2. Claims That Kim Soo Hyun Ignored Kim Sae Ron’s Financial Struggles
Gold Medalist clarified that Kim Soo Hyun had no involvement in Kim Sae Ron’s financial issues. They stated that following Kim Sae Ron’s DUI incident, the company covered the full amount of her debt and explained that Kim Soo Hyun did not pressure her for repayment.
The agency also disclosed that they helped resolve her penalty fees and compensation claims, which initially totaled approximately 1.14 billion KRW (around $780,000). Through negotiations and Kim Sae Ron’s own efforts, the amount was reduced to around 700 million KRW (approximately $480,000). As part of the process, Gold Medalist handled the repair and sale of her severely damaged vehicle from the DUI accident to offset some of the financial burden.
Garo Sero Research Institute had claimed that Gold Medalist “seized” Kim Sae Ron’s car, but the agency refuted this, explaining that the car was repaired and sold at her request to help cover costs.
3. The Scale of DUI Compensation and Contract Termination Fees
Gold Medalist stated that Kim Sae Ron struggled financially after her DUI incident and was unable to repay her debts. In December 2023, the company wrote off her debt as a loss, formally reflecting this in their April 2024 audit report. This decision effectively meant they had given up on recovering the debt.
The agency explained that legally, they could not simply waive the debt, as doing so could lead to legal complications such as embezzlement charges. Instead, they followed proper legal procedures by issuing a formal notice to document the debt as an uncollectible loss. They emphasized that they sent the letter as an accounting process, not an attempt to demand repayment.
Gold Medalist also noted that if they had directly forgiven the debt, Kim Sae Ron might have faced a gift tax under South Korea’s inheritance and gift tax laws. To avoid such legal complications, the agency processed it as a bad debt write-off rather than an outright cancellation.
They also referred to the text message Kim Sae Ron sent to Kim Soo Hyun on March 19, 2024 and clarified that it was related to this accounting procedure.
>> Kim Sae Ron’s Debt to Kim Soo Hyun’s Agency Was for ‘Bloodhounds’ Reshoots, Not DUI-Related Damages
4. Concern Over “Inheritance and Gift Tax Act, Article 36”
The agency reiterated that Kim Sae Ron’s debt was strictly a matter between her and Gold Medalist and had no connection to Kim Soo Hyun. They stated that Kim Soo Hyun neither lent money to Kim Sae Ron personally nor pressured her to repay anything.
Gold Medalist stated that lacking legal knowledge, Kim Sae Ron had reached out to Kim Soo Hyun via text, but he was unaware of the situation and had to ask the agency for clarification. Gold Medalist assured him that they were handling the matter with legal professionals.
On March 26, 2024, Kim Sae Ron’s legal representatives communicated their willingness to discuss a repayment plan, after which all debt-related issues were considered resolved. Gold Medalist emphasized that they never demanded repayment from Kim Sae Ron after the debt was written off.
They also suggested that Kim Sae Ron may have thought she no longer had to repay her debt. The agency said they tried to ease her financial burden by not applying any interest or late fees. However, they expressed deep sorrow that she misunderstood their actions as pressure and made such a tragic decision.
>> Kim Sae Ron’s Neighbors Reveal Heartbreaking Accounts Before Her Death
4. Who Benefits from the Unauthorized Disclosure of Private Matters?
Gold Medalist stated, “Photos of Kim Sae Ron as an adult have been wrongly presented as pictures from when she was 16, and the company’s financial help has been misrepresented as debt pressure.” They added, “Kim Soo Hyun has been unfairly blamed for Kim Sae Ron’s passing, and Garo Sero Research Institute’s report has spread false information, making the situation worse.”
They concluded, “The photos are real, but they don’t prove Garo Sero Research Institute’s claims. We question whether Kim Soo Hyun should have to endure such privacy violations and personal attacks.”
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