A YouTuber with nearly a million followers allegedly used AI to fabricate audio evidence. The fake recording destroyed one of South Korea’s biggest actors.
Now, South Korean authorities are seeking an arrest warrant for the YouTuber, Kim Se-ui.
They say he used AI-generated audio and doctored text message screenshots to spread lies about top actor Kim Soo-hyun.
The fallout was swift and brutal. Kim Soo-hyun, once a household name across South Korea and much of Asia, lost TV deals, ad contracts, and his public platform almost overnight.
Career Decline
Kim Soo-hyun spent years building one of the most respected careers in Korean entertainment. He starred in multiple hit TV dramas and appeared in countless advertisements.
Fans across Asia knew his face well; then, the scandal hit. Shortly after actress Kim Sae-ron died by suicide in early 2025 at the age of 24, rumours began circulating online.
They claimed that Kim Soo-hyun had dated Kim Sae-ron when she was only 15 years old, still in middle school.
Those rumours gained traction fast, and the YouTuber Kim Se-ui helped pour fuel on the fire.
Fake Evidence
Kim Se-ui posted two key pieces of supposed proof online. First, he shared a voice recording.
In it, a voice that sounded like Kim Sae-ron could be heard saying she had been in a relationship with Kim Soo-hyun since middle school.
Second, he released screenshots of text messages. These appeared to show private conversations between the actor and the actress.
Millions of people saw both, and many believed them. But authorities now say neither was real.
Police allege that the voice recording was generated using AI, not a real recording of Kim Sae-ron at all.
They also say Kim Se-ui took actual text messages from the actress’s phone and manipulated them.
He altered who the messages were sent to, making it look like Kim Soo-hyun was the recipient.
In other words, the “smoking gun” evidence was built on digital forgery and AI trickery.
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Fueling the Scandal
South Korea has one of the most intense celebrity cultures in the world. Fans follow their favourite stars closely. Public figures face enormous pressure to maintain a spotless image.
Because of this, even unverified allegations can cause massive damage in a very short time.
Celebrities in South Korea have lost their careers over incidents that would barely register elsewhere, from being exposed as school bullies in their teens to wearing counterfeit designer clothing.
Kim Sae-ron herself knew this all too well. After a drink-driving incident in 2022, she faced intense online backlash from fans.
Despite that, many still considered her one of the most talented young actresses of her generation.
When she died, public grief was enormous. And when allegations about Kim Soo-hyun surfaced right after her passing, the timing made them feel more believable to many people.
Kim Soo-hyun’s Defence
Kim Soo-hyun denied everything from the start. His agency first said he and Kim Sae-ron had never dated.
Later, the actor himself came forward and admitted they had, in fact, been in a relationship, but only when she was an adult, not a minor.
In March 2025, he held a tearful press conference. He looked directly at the cameras and said, “I can’t admit to something I didn’t do.”
That same month, he filed criminal complaints and civil lawsuits against Kim Se-ui and members of Kim Sae-ron’s family, who had publicly backed the YouTuber’s claims.
Despite all of this, Kim Soo-hyun has not made a single public appearance since. His Disney+ series, Knock-Off, already filmed and ready to go, has been postponed indefinitely.
No release date has been set.
Kim Soo-hyun
A police filing, reported by Korean news outlet JoongAng Ilbo, laid out just how serious the consequences were.
Authorities wrote that Kim Se-ui’s actions “collapsed Kim Soo-hyun’s social base and his economic activities across the board, and destroyed the basis for his professional survival.”
Police have also confirmed that Kim Soo-hyun is still receiving psychiatric treatment.
