Kim Se-ui, the representative of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute, has been indicted while under arrest on charges including the dissemination of false information regarding actor Kim Soo-hyun.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, specifically the Second Criminal Division for Women and Child Crimes (Chief Prosecutor Park Ji-na), announced on June 23 that it has indicted Kim on five charges: defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes (distribution of illegally filmed material, etc.), violation of the Stalking Punishment Act, attempted coercion, and intimidation.

The prosecution stated, "Through supplementary investigations, including victim interviews and forensic analysis of audio files by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, we have confirmed that the defendant caused immense harm to the victim by arbitrarily editing and distorting materials, or using false data without minimal fact-checking, to spread false information regarding the victim's private life." The office added that it would continue to respond sternly to the dissemination of fake news under the guise of "private sanctions."

Kim is accused of posting 25 videos on his YouTube channel between March and December of last year, claiming that actor Kim Soo-hyun had been in a relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron since she was a minor. Prosecutors determined that Kim spread these falsehoods using arbitrarily edited KakaoTalk conversation screenshots and fabricated audio files.

Furthermore, Kim is charged with attempted coercion for displaying photos of Kim Soo-hyun in a T-shirt and underwear while washing dishes five times during his YouTube broadcasts last year. He also allegedly demanded that the actor admit to a relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron during her minor years and issue a public apology, threatening to expose further private materials.

The charges also include violations of the Stalking Punishment Act. Prosecutors explained that between March and June of last year, Kim repeatedly broadcasted videos exposing the actor's private life 34 times, including the use of his real name and face, and violated a court-issued provisional injunction during this process.

Kim was previously arrested on May 26 following a warrant review hearing, and his subsequent request for a review of the legality of his arrest (a detention review) was dismissed.

 

(Reported by Kang Kyung-yoon, SBS Entertainment News)