South Korea’s National Forensic Service has concluded that it is unable to determine whether a controversial audio recording involving the late Kim Sae Ron was manipulated using artificial intelligence.
The recording, which alleges that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor, has been at the center of public controversy amid claims that it was AI-generated or altered.
According to police on December 15th, the Seoul Gangnam Police Station received notice from the National Forensic Service last month stating that the audio file’s AI manipulation status was “impossible to determine.”
The recording allegedly features Kim Sae Ron saying that she had been in a relationship with Kim Soo Hyun since her middle school years and that they first had sexual relations when she was in her second year of middle school. The audio was made public on May 7th during a press conference held jointly by the YouTube channel HoverLab (Garo Sero Institute) and attorney Bu Ji Seok of Law Firm Buyou, the legal representative for Kim Sae Ron’s family.
On the same day, Kim Soo Hyun’s legal team, Law Firm LKB & Partners, refuted the claims, stating that the recording was a fabricated file manipulated using AI or other technologies. Kim Soo Hyun subsequently filed a criminal complaint against Kim Se Ui, head of HoverLab, on charges including defamation.
The National Forensic Service conducted its analysis at the request of police but reportedly concluded that, due to technical limitations, it could not determine whether the voice in the recording had been generated or altered using AI.
Police are now reviewing the authenticity of the claims made in the recording through forensic analysis of seized materials, including Kim Se Ui’s mobile phone and tablet.
Speaking at a regular press briefing held by the Seoul Gangnam Police Station, Commissioner Park Jung Bo said, “We are in the process of wrapping up the investigation after receiving the forensic analysis results,” adding, “Since the necessary investigations have been completed, we believe a conclusion will be reached soon through further analysis of materials and evidence.”
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