section_path: Dating allegations
section_name: Dating allegations
paragraph_text: Dating allegations
  
  On March 24, 2024, Kim denied dating rumors with late actress Kim Sae-ron, after a close-up photo of them that she briefly posted and deleted on Instagram circulated online. His agency, Gold Medalist, stated that the rumors were false, explaining that the photo was taken when they were under the same management and that they were unaware of her intentions in sharing it. The agency also warned against defamatory content. The actress died by suicide on February 16, 2025, Kim Soo-hyun's birthday.
  
  In March 2025, additional allegations were made against Kim, stemming from statements and photos from Kim Sae-ron's family. The family alleged that Kim had been in a six-year-long relationship with Kim Sae-ron beginning in 2015, when she was 15 and he was 27. Gold Medalist subsequently denied the allegations, announcing plans to take the "strongest possible legal action" against the claimants.
  
  On March 13, 2025, Gold Medalist announced that they would issue their position regarding the allegations the following week. The next day, the agency released a statement confirming that the two had dated, but claimed that their relationship began in 2019, when the actress was no longer a minor. The agency also denied that they pressured Kim Sae-ron into repaying a debt pertaining to the compensation of her 2022 DUI incident, and stated that they chose not to pursue repayment after acknowledging that she would not be able to pay off the debt. They opposed the assumption that Kim's leaked letter, which he had written and sent to Kim Sae-ron when she was 17, was intimate in nature, insisting that, "the expression 'I miss you' is a casual expression that a soldier using while serving in the military would use with close acquaintances." In response, Kim Sae-ron's mother criticized the agency, saying of their initial 2024 statement, "Gold Medalist also falsely portrayed Sae-ron as a confused young woman who lied, saying they 'don't know the intention' of the photo Sae-ron uploaded."
  
  On March 17, 2025, Kim Sae-ron's family revealed that Gold Medalist had sent her a second set of legal papers seemingly threatening her for payment of her debt and forbidding her from contacting Kim and other Gold Medalist artists. They claimed this contributed to her mental distress and ultimately her death. However, the agency rebutted by stating that the papers were meant to offer an extended payment deadline and refuted any threats regarding communication with other actors.
  
  On March 27, 2025, Bu Ji-seok, a lawyer representing Kim Sae-ron's family, appeared in a press conference on behalf of the family and publicly revealed further evidence to corroborate the allegations that Kim had dated Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor. The evidence also included text messages suggesting that Kim had engaged in a sexual relationship with Kim Sae-ron.
  
  On March 31, 2025, Kim held an emergency press conference in western Seoul to address the allegations, with his legal representative present, where he teared up multiple times. He denied dating Kim Sae-ron as a minor, as well as the claims that agency pressure or his actions led to her decision to commit suicide.
  
  On March 24, 2024, Kim denied dating rumors with late actress Kim Sae-ron, after a close-up photo of them that she briefly posted and deleted on Instagram circulated online. His agency, Gold Medalist, stated that the rumors were false, explaining that the photo was taken when they were under the same management and that they were unaware of her intentions in sharing it. The agency also warned against defamatory content. The actress died by suicide on February 16, 2025, Kim Soo-hyun's birthday.
  
  In March 2025, additional allegations were made against Kim, stemming from statements and photos from Kim Sae-ron's family. The family alleged that Kim had been in a six-year-long relationship with Kim Sae-ron beginning in 2015, when she was 15 and he was 27. Gold Medalist subsequently denied the allegations, announcing plans to take the "strongest possible legal action" against the claimants.
  
  On March 13, 2025, Gold Medalist announced that they would issue their position regarding the allegations the following week. The next day, the agency released a statement confirming that the two had dated, but claimed that their relationship began in 2019, when the actress was no longer a minor. The agency also denied that they pressured Kim Sae-ron into repaying a debt pertaining to the compensation of her 2022 DUI incident, and stated that they chose not to pursue repayment after acknowledging that she would not be able to pay off the debt. They opposed the assumption that Kim's leaked letter, which he had written and sent to Kim Sae-ron when she was 17, was intimate in nature, insisting that, "the expression 'I miss you' is a casual expression that a soldier using while serving in the military would use with close acquaintances." In response, Kim Sae-ron's mother criticized the agency, saying of their initial 2024 statement, "Gold Medalist also falsely portrayed Sae-ron as a confused young woman who lied, saying they 'don't know the intention' of the photo Sae-ron uploaded."
  
  On March 17, 2025, Kim Sae-ron's family revealed that Gold Medalist had sent her a second set of legal papers seemingly threatening her for payment of her debt and forbidding her from contacting Kim and other Gold Medalist artists. They claimed this contributed to her mental distress and ultimately her death. However, the agency rebutted by stating that the papers were meant to offer an extended payment deadline and refuted any threats regarding communication with other actors.
  
  On March 27, 2025, Bu Ji-seok, a lawyer representing Kim Sae-ron's family, appeared in a press conference on behalf of the family and publicly revealed further evidence to corroborate the allegations that Kim had dated Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor. The evidence also included text messages suggesting that Kim had engaged in a sexual relationship with Kim Sae-ron.
  
  On March 31, 2025, Kim held an emergency press conference in western Seoul to address the allegations, with his legal representative present, where he teared up multiple times. He denied dating Kim Sae-ron as a minor, as well as the claims that agency pressure or his actions led to her decision to commit suicide.