Attorney Go Sang-mook of Phil Law Firm, representing actor Kim Soo-hyun, issued a second statement on the 2nd. Framing the controversy around “evidence tampering,” Kim’s team released additional excerpts from private journal-style letters he wrote during military service, pushing back on allegations that he dated late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor.
They also urged a police investigation, arguing that the single letter Kim sent to the late Kim Sae-ron―cited by the Hover Lab YouTube channel as proof of a romantic relationship―cannot stand as evidence of dating.
◆ One Letter vs. A Paper Trail Focused on a Real Girlfriend
In its first statement, Kim’s side revealed that he had a 3-year girlfriend; he was dating her throughout his military service. Attorney Go said the June 9, 2018 letter presented by Hover Lab contains day-to-day musings, while Kim’s contemporaneous journals show he was singularly focused on his then-girlfriend during that period.
The newly shared journal-style notes capture Kim’s longing for his partner as he counted down to leave for furlough.
Go noted that even though the actor wrote about how desperately he wanted to see his actual girlfriend―enough to “risk everything” for a brief, low-key meet-up―there was no mention of any plans to meet in the four-day leave referenced in the letter to the late Kim Sae-ron.
According to Kim’s team, that letter was simply a reflective note about nature on a day off and a renewed commitment to military life―ending with a casual “miss you,” the kind of phrase people often send to acquaintances. They dismissed interpretations of select lines as romantic interest, saying they misread his actual intent.
◆ Why She Visited His Home ― And Why the Team Calls It “Evidence Tampering”
The legal team also addressed why the late Kim Sae-ron visited Kim’s residence while he was on leave.
They explained the house was in Kim’s name, but during his service it was occupied by his older brother, who is also a longtime business partner from his agency days. The late Kim Sae-ron was an acquaintance of the brother as well, making the visit an ordinary extension of professional and social ties rather than a pre-planned private meetup. When she stopped by, Kim was with his brother, who offered her career advice―nothing more than a routine interaction among acquaintances, they said.
“It’s highly unusual and distressing that we’re being forced to disclose deeply personal journals and request official documents like property records and resident registrations just to prove a normal acquaintance meeting,” Go said, calling the situation “an organized, malicious cybercrime.” He urged a firm response, adding, “Fake news isn’t content―it’s a crime.”
After Kim’s side said in its first statement that there are roughly 150 journal-style letters to and about his real girlfriend from his military years, Hover Lab countered that this amounted to an admission of “two-timing,” repeating its earlier claims.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)