At 2 p.m. on November 11, the 26th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Hyun Kyung, held a hearing in the trial of Kim Se Ui, who has been indicted and detained on charges including defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
Kim Soo Hyun arrived at the courthouse privately at around 1:40 p.m. to give witness testimony. Numerous reporters were waiting at the scene in hopes of catching a glimpse of the actor. However, Kim Soo Hyun entered the courtroom through a separate route rather than the main entrance.
Before Kim Soo Hyun’s witness examination, Kim Se Ui reiterated his claim of innocence. His lawyer stated, “We deny all the charges in the indictment. The facts presented are not false. [Kim Soo Hyun] was in a relationship with a minor,” and asked the court to acquit him.
Kim Se Ui also personally expressed his frustration. He said, “On October 15, I submitted an analysis report from a professor at Korea University’s Forensic Science Center stating that the late Kim Sae Ron’s voice recording was not an AI-generated fake.” He continued, “Since I have a background in the humanities rather than science and engineering, I did not fully understand the difficult terminology in the report. I focused only on its conclusion that there had been no manipulation or editing.”
Kim Se Ui then referred to the timestamp indicating when the audio file was created. “The creation time of the audio file is clearly recorded in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). At that time, actress Kim Sae Ron was still alive and was living in New Jersey, in the United States,” he claimed. “I began making allegations about Kim Soo Hyun in my broadcasts on March 10, 2025. It is impossible that the recording was manipulated using AI two months before my exposé and one month before Kim Sae Ron passed away.”
Kim Se Ui also pointed out what he described as differences between the allegations stated in the arrest warrant and those in the indictment. He said, “The arrest warrant stated that I had used AI-generated manipulation and conspired with the bereaved family to defame Kim Soo Hyun with false information, knowing it was untrue. However, the indictment ultimately omitted the allegation of AI-generated manipulation and instead changed the accusation to suggest that I had broadcast the claims based solely on the bereaved family’s statements.”
He went on to complain, “While detained, I cannot search for materials or conduct reporting, so I have no choice but to stand trial under unfair circumstances. I have been detained, branded a criminal, and turned into a devil.”
The court had to intervene when Kim Se Ui became increasingly emotional during his statement. As his voice grew louder, the judge instructed him, “Please don’t shout. Speak calmly.” Kim Se Ui responded, “I’ll be finished shortly. Please don’t interrupt me,” and continued speaking.
Meanwhile, since March last year, Kim Se Ui has repeatedly claimed through YouTube broadcasts and other platforms that Kim Soo Hyun had been in a relationship with the late Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor and that he bore responsibility for her death. He also held press conferences on behalf of the bereaved family and released what he claimed were audio recordings of Kim Sae Ron’s voice, as well as materials he alleged were KakaoTalk conversations between her and Kim Soo Hyun.
However, investigators concluded that the voice recordings released by Kim Se Ui had been manipulated using generative artificial intelligence (AI), and that the alleged KakaoTalk conversations between Kim Soo Hyun and the late Kim Sae Ron had also been fabricated. Kim Se Ui was arrested in May on suspicion of spreading false information about Kim Soo Hyun.
Kim Soo Hyun has also filed for an injunction against Kim Se Ui, seeking the removal of YouTube videos and a ban on further uploads.
Sources: Nate