Actor Kim Soo-hyun expressed his injustice and shed tears at a press conference. Kim Soo-hyun's press conference was like declaring 'going to the end' with the bereaved family of the late Kim Sae-ron. Unusually, Kim Soo-hyun, rather than a lawyer, personally revealed his feelings of injustice along with rebuttals to key issues and announced plans for legal action. The weight of his words, which took a considerable amount of time to refine before being shared with the world, was significant. After the press conference, we examined his statements, which are being reconsidered.

- "I consider myself a coward."

Kim Soo-hyun said he could not even trust the kindness directed toward him and was always frightened, worrying about what he might lose or suffer from, busy running away and whining. He noted that it took a long time to stand in this position. He mentioned that every time his and Kim Sae-ron's private lives were exposed, he kept thinking, 'Let's just talk about everything tomorrow, let’s directly tell the truth and end this hellish situation.' However, he added that each time, he hesitated out of fear of how his decisions might affect those around him.

- "Because I am star Kim Soo-hyun... even if I had to go back, I would make the same choice."

Kim Soo-hyun denied allegations of having dated Kim Sae-ron for a year five years ago, stating that there were many things he needed to protect as the lead actor when the drama "Queen of Tears" aired. He reflected on the potential consequences of acknowledging a relationship with someone he dated years ago, considering the impact on the actors he was performing with, the staff working through the night, the production company that invested everything into the project, and even his own company. Each time the choices of human Kim Soo-hyun and star Kim Soo-hyun diverged, he felt he consistently made the choice of star Kim Soo-hyun.

He added, "Even if I were to go back to the time of airing 'Queen of Tears,' I would make that choice again," explaining, "Can I make that decision just to feel at ease? I don't think I should do that. I believe that is the responsibility of someone who has chosen the life of Kim Soo-hyun now." However, this statement faced criticism for suggesting that, as star Kim Soo-hyun, he could also lie to protect something.

- "The deceased was dating someone else."

Kim Soo-hyun said he heard that Kim Sae-ron was troubled because of him around the time of the drunk driving incident, but maintained that the deceased was dating someone else at that time. This was a reason why Kim Soo-hyun felt cautious about contacting the deceased. He expressed, "Since we were living our own lives, I didn't know what to say. However, the bereaved family claims I pushed her to death because I was her ex-boyfriend. They are also pressuring me to confess to things I did not do."

He then revealed a transcript of a call from a year ago between Jeon Byun-ji, a gold medalist, and Kim Sae-ron's last agency, Run Entertainment. At that time, Jeon Byun-ji told the agency's CEO, Ko Seung-a, "Please don't be surprised, but this is a situation where I have no choice but to send this due to administrative procedures. If I don’t send it, I would be embezzling. In terms of answering, please set a rough period for repayment, saying that you will repay it within a certain period. We can’t ask for repayment verbally. It would be good to explain this well to Sae-ron as well." This is the truth about the second content certification that Kim Soo-hyun's side claims.

- "I cannot be said to have done something I did not do."

Kim Soo-hyun emphasized that the audio recordings the bereaved family claims are new recordings made after the incident, and that the contents of the KakaoTalk messages are the same. "If the deceased were alive, there is no way she could be mistaken about the age difference between us. She could not get the name of the agency, where we both worked for four years, or the contract period wrong. Also, the deceased only acted as an affiliated actor at our company. There was no fact of casting newbies or visual directing," he stated.

He also stated that the individuals who were conversing with the deceased in the KakaoTalk messages from 2016 and 2018 were different people and that he submitted this to a scientific statement analysis verification agency (Truth Baum Statement Analysis Center). However, due to past cases, the credibility of that agency is currently contentious (e.g., Jo Joo-bin).

Kim Soo-hyun remarked, "I will accept any criticism regarding the choices I made. But that does not mean that all untrue statements become true," and he asserted, "Just as I am going through verification procedures related to the KakaoTalk messages, I will also ensure that every piece of evidence the bereaved family presents goes through a thorough verification process with investigative agencies. If the evidence held by the bereaved family is truly the truth, I request that they submit all materials to investigative agencies and seek verification through legal procedures."

Additionally, Kim Soo-hyun stated, "What I did, I did. I can accept any criticism for that. However, what I did not do, I did not do. I will not ask you to believe me. I will definitely prove it."

Meanwhile, Kim Soo-hyun held a press conference on March 31 at the Stanford Hotel in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, regarding allegations about an underage relationship related to the death of the late Kim Sae-ron. Present at the event was attorney Kim Jong-bok from the law firm LK Partners.

Previously, the bereaved family of Kim Sae-ron claimed that the deceased had been in a relationship with adult Kim Soo-hyun for a total of six years, starting from age 15 as a minor. They also demanded that the agency Gold Medalist apologize for pressuring Kim Sae-ron to repay 700 million won in debt. However, through the press conference, Kim Soo-hyun denied all of these issues, particularly emphasizing that he did not date Kim Sae-ron during her minor years and that the agency did not pressure her regarding debt, while indicating plans for legal action against the bereaved family, an individual claiming to be her aunt, and the Garosero Research Institute. The amount of the damages claim is 12 billion won.

[Photo] OSEN DB

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