Kim Soo-hyun case: Police seek warrant over AI-faked evidence
South Korean police are seeking an arrest warrant for YouTuber Kim Se-ui over allegations that he faked evidence used against kim soo-hyun. Authorities say the material included manipulated screenshots and an AI-made audio file that pushed false claims about the actor and actress Kim Sae-ron.
The filing says the fabricated material helped form the impression that Kim Soo-hyun had dated Kim Sae-ron when she was still a minor. Police say he is still receiving psychiatric treatment, while the case has moved from online accusation into a criminal probe that now targets the person who amplified it.
Kim Se-ui video response
Kim Se-ui posted a video saying the authorities' allegations were a "subterfuge meant to disrupt his investigation". That defense matters because the dispute is no longer just about a rumor thread; police are now saying the evidence itself was manufactured, not merely misread.
Authorities allege that he knowingly spread false claims for financial gain. They also say he manipulated screenshots of text messages sent from Kim Sae-ron's phone and presented a voice recording that was generated by AI. The combination turned a celebrity rumor into material that looked like documentation.
March 2025 press conference
At a tearful press conference in March 2025, Kim Soo-hyun said, "I can't admit to something I didn't do". He later said he had dated Kim Sae-ron for a year only when she was an adult, after his agency initially denied that the couple had ever dated.
Police say the online claims cut deeper than gossip. A police filing reported by JoongAng Ilbo said his actions "collapsed Kim Soo-hyun's social base and his economic activities across the board, and destroyed the basis for his professional survival,". For a household-name actor, that is the practical damage line: public standing, work, and income all became entangled in the allegation cycle.
Kim Sae-ron aftermath
The allegations surfaced last year after Kim Sae-ron killed herself at the age of 24. Soon after her death, rumours spread online that Kim Soo-hyun had dated her when she was just 15 years old, and months later Kim Se-ui posted the voice recording and screenshots that authorities now say were false.
Police are now moving against the amplifier, not just the rumor. If they secure the warrant, the case becomes a test of how far South Korean investigators will go when AI-generated audio and altered screenshots are used to manufacture celebrity accusations.
