A new MBC report has sparked shock after claiming that key evidence used by YouTube channel HoverLab in its allegations involving Kim Soo Hyun and the late Kim Sae Ron was AI-manipulated or fabricated.
On June 14th, MBC’s investigative program Straight broke down the materials presented by Kim Se Eui, the recently arrested head of the channel.
According to the report, a voice recording released by Kim Se Eui during a press conference and on YouTube, which allegedly claimed Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor, was found by police to be a fake created with AI.
Straight also reported that the informant behind the audio had approached Kim Soo Hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist, a month before handing the material to HoverLab. He reportedly demanded money in exchange for “proof” that Kim and Kim Sae Ron dated only after she became an adult, while also making the bizarre demand that Kim film free advertisements for the company in the future.
The informant allegedly created at least four different versions of AI-generated recordings, tailoring the claims to different targets, including “dating as a minor” for one side and “dating after adulthood” for another.
Police reportedly found the recording unreliable, noting that the informant claimed to have recorded Kim Sae Ron in January 2025, shortly before her death in February 2025 and before the controversy had even erupted. Investigators questioned why the conversation would have focused so heavily on whether she had dated Kim Soo Hyun as a minor.
The messages released by HoverLab were also allegedly fabricated using someone else’s conversation. In the arrest warrant request for Kim Se Eui, police stated that the materials were deliberately manipulated to make it appear as though the other person in the conversation was Kim Soo Hyun, even though their identity had not been verified.
Kim Se Eui had repeatedly claimed the materials were authentic and had been verified by the National Forensic Service, but Straight reported that this was also false. The forensic analysis was requested not by HoverLab, but by police, and the agency concluded that the files could not be verified because they were not “original files.”
Kim Se Eui was arrested on May 26th on five charges, including defamation and blackmail. His request for the court to review the legality of his detention was later rejected.
The allegations caused major damage to Kim Soo Hyun’s reputation, as well as the dignity of the late Kim Sae Ron. Kim had previously denied the claims, saying there were too many inaccuracies for the statements to have been written by the late actress herself.
Kim Soo Hyun’s attorney revealed the scale of the fallout. “At the time, he had nearly 20 advertising contracts, but after the incident, all of his advertising and acting activities were halted,” they said. “Even by a rough estimate, the damage suffered by Kim Soo Hyun and his agency amounts to around 30 billion won (approximately $19.8 million).”
With investigators reportedly finding that HoverLab’s allegations were built on faked materials, Kim Soo Hyun appears to have finally cleared his name. He is expected to resume activities in earnest, beginning with an advertising shoot in July.
>> HoverLab Operator Allegedly Plans to Use Late Kim Sae Ron’s Mother to Reduce Jail Time
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