YouTuber arrested for using AI to defame Kim Soo-hyun with fabricated evidence

Kim Soo-hyun: YouTuber arrested for allegedly defaming Korean actor with AI

South Korean authorities have arrested a YouTuber who allegedly made defamatory claims about actor Kim Soo-hyun, fuelling a scandal that halted the A-lister's career. Police and prosecutors allege that Kim Se-ui, who runs the popular YouTuber channel Hover Lab, had manipulated evidence to falsely claim that Kim Soo-hyun had dated the late actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor - allegations that Kim Soo-hyun denies. The Seoul Central District Court granted an arrest warrant for the YouTuber on Tuesday, citing concerns that he might destroy evidence or flee. In a statement on Wednesday, Kim Soo-hyun's agency said that the "truth has been proven". "The investigation confirmed that all suspicions and evidence raised by Hover Lab against Kim Soo-hyun were unfounded," said the statement, which also thanked the supporters who had stood by the actor. Speaking to reporters outside the court on Tuesday, ahead of the court's decision, YouTuber Kim Se-ui denied the charges and said the warrant "did not even properly organise the basic facts". He said he would lodge complaints against the police and prosecutors who requested his arrest. The allegations against Kim Soo-hyun surfaced last year, shortly after Kim Sae-ron killed herself at the age of 24. Months after her death, the YouTuber channel Hover Lab, which has nearly a million subscribers, posted a voice recording in which the actress could be heard saying she had been dating Kim Soo-hyun since she was in middle school. The police claim that the voice recording was generated by AI. They also allege that the YouTuber had manipulated screenshots of text messages sent from the actress's phone to make it look like she had been texting Kim Soo-hyun. Hover Lab is among the most controversial YouTube channels in South Korea, and frequently posts commentary on politics and entertainment. It has peddled claims held by fringe South Korean political groups, including those regarding the rigging of elections. It is also a popular channel for celebrity gossip. The allegations against Kim Soo-hyun shocked South Korea, where he is the star of multiple hit TV shows and features in advertisements across the country. The claims made by Kim Se-ui's Hover Lab "collapsed Kim Soo-hyun's social base and his economic activities across the board, and destroyed the basis for his professional survival", according to a police filing reported by news outlet JoongAng Ilbo. Police also say Kim Soo-hyun is "still receiving psychiatric treatment". The actor has not made official public appearances since a tearful press conference in March 2025, where he said that he had dated Kim Sae-ron for a year, but only when she was an adult. "I can't admit to something I didn't do," he said. That month, he filed criminal complaints and lawsuits against the YouTuber and the actress' family for making false accusations. Kim Soo-hyun's press conference was mentioned in the statement by the actor's agency on Wednesday. "At a press conference a year ago, Kim Soo-hyun promised, 'I won't ask you to believe me. I will definitely prove myself'", the statement said. "The past year has been solely dedicated to keeping that promise."

Can Kim Soo-hyun recover from a year of scandal? - The Korea Times

A year after actor Kim Soo-hyun broke down in tears at a high-profile press conference over allegations involving late actress Kim Sae-ron, the controversy has entered yet another dramatic phase. Kim Se-ui, head of controversial YouTube channel HoverLab, also known as Garo Sero Institute, was taken into custody this week as police reportedly concluded that audio files previously presented as evidence against Kim Soo-hyun were generated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. According to the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday, Judge Boo Dong-sik approved an arrest warrant for Kim Se-ui over allegations including defamation, attempted coercion, intimidation and violations of laws related to distributing illegally produced content. The court said there were concerns about destruction of evidence and flight risk. Kim Se-ui is accused of spreading false claims through YouTube broadcasts suggesting that Kim Sae-ron's death was linked to Kim Soo-hyun. He also publicly alleged that Kim Soo-hyun dated Kim Sae-ron while she was still a minor, a claim the actor has repeatedly denied. The case gained nationwide attention last year after Kim Se-ui held a press conference and released what he claimed was an audio recording of Kim Sae-ron discussing shocking details involving Kim Soo-hyun. The recording quickly went viral online and fueled intense public backlash against the actor. However, local media reports now say police believe the audio was artificially generated using AI voice technology. According to a detention warrant request from Seoul Gangnam Police Station cited by JoongAng Ilbo on May 21, investigators said Kim Se-ui spread false information for financial gain, including YouTube revenue. Police reportedly said that Kim Se-ui "knew that actor Kim did not date the deceased when she was a minor" but still distributed false claims. Investigators also reportedly concluded that KakaoTalk messages previously disclosed by Kim Se-ui's side had been manipulated. Kim Se-ui denied all allegations during his court appearance. "The arrest warrant is filled with obvious falsehoods," he said. "It is sloppy and does not even organize the basic facts properly." He also said he does not acknowledge any of the charges and argued that the National Forensic Service had said it was impossible to definitively determine whether the recordings were AI-generated. He said relying on analysis from private companies to claim manipulation effectively disregards the national agency's findings. The controversy severely affected Kim Soo-hyun's career at the height of his popularity. At the time, the actor was enjoying massive global success from the hit drama "Queen of Tears" when allegations surrounding his past relationship with Kim Sae-ron exploded online. On March 31 last year, Kim Soo-hyun personally addressed the controversy in a tearful press conference. During the appearance, he acknowledged that he had dated Kim Sae-ron, but said the relationship began only after she became an adult. Since then, Kim Soo-hyun and his agency Gold Medalist have continued legal action against Kim Se-ui and others over alleged defamation and the spread of false information. With Kim Se-ui now jailed and police reportedly treating key evidence as AI-generated fabrication, the case has once again become a major topic in online discourse. Public attention is now shifting toward the outcome of the police investigation and whether Kim Soo-hyun will be able to fully recover his public image after more than a year of controversy.

Kim Soo-hyun's agency says 'truth proven' through arrest of YouTuber charged with defamation - The Korea Times

Actor Kim Soo-hyun's agency said Wednesday that "truth has been proven" following the arrest of a conservative YouTuber charged with spreading false and fabricated information about the actor over his relationship with late actress Kim Sae-ron. On Tuesday, the Seoul Central District Court granted the arrest warrant for Kim Se-ui, operator of the YouTube channel Hover Lab, who is accused of defaming the actor by falsely claiming that the actor had dated the late actress while she was a minor and that pressure from his side to repay a debt led to her death early last year. The YouTuber is also accused of creating doctored audio recordings of the late actress using artificial intelligence technology to falsely claim she had sexual relations with the actor when she was in middle school. "At last, the truth has been proven through a legally established process and a thorough probe. ... (We) deeply thank investigative authorities for their efforts in uncovering the truth based on objective evidence," Gold Medalist, which represents the actor, said in a statement. The agency noted that the various allegations raised by the YouTuber have been confirmed to be false and that the court acknowledged the gravity of the charges, including defamation and blackmail. "At a press conference held a year ago, Kim vowed to prove the truth. The past year for him has been solely devoted to keeping that promise," the agency said, thanking everyone who believed in Kim and waited for him during that time. Hover Lab raised the allegations in March 2025, after the actress was found dead at her home the previous month, following an apparent suicide at the age of 24. Later that month, Kim held a press conference and acknowledged dating the actress while rejecting claims their relationship took place when she was a minor. He also filed defamation complaints against the YouTuber and the late actress's family.