Garo Sero Yeon and Kim Saeron's Family Sue Kim Soohyun... Lee Jinho Refutes with "AI-Manipulated Recording" (Comprehensive)

On the 7th, at a shared office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, attorney Ji Seok Bu, the legal representative of the late Kim Saeron's family, is holding up the complaint against Kim Soohyun. Photo by Yonhap News

The YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute (hereafter referred to as Garo Sero Yeon) claimed that an informant who had kept a recording of the late Kim Saeron's voice was attacked by assailants in the United States. On this day, Garo Sero Yeon released a portion of the recording, stating that it contained content in which the late Kim Saeron mentioned having dated and engaged in sexual relations with actor Kim Soohyun while she was a minor. In response, YouTuber Lee Jinho strongly refuted the claim, asserting that the recording in question had been manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI).

Ji Seok Bu, the legal representative of Kim Saeron's family (from the law firm Buyu), held a press conference on May 7 at a shared office in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. He stated, "We have filed a complaint against Kim Soohyun for violating the Child Welfare Act, based on the judgment that he had an inappropriate relationship with the deceased when she was a minor," and added, "We have also filed a counter-complaint against Kim Soohyun for false accusation, in response to his lawsuit against the family for spreading false information."

According to Kim Seui, the head of Garo Sero Yeon, informant A recorded a conversation with the late Kim Saeron on January 10, 2025, about one month before her death, in New Jersey, United States, with her consent. Kim claimed that after it became known that A was in possession of this recording file, on May 1 (local time), A was attacked multiple times in the neck with a weapon by two assailants in the United States. He further stated that the case is currently under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and that A's spouse said in a video message, "This material is not just a rumor, but the truth."

A portion of the recording was also made public at the press conference. In the recording, the late Kim Saeron is heard telling an acquaintance, "I started dating Kim Soohyun when I was in the second year of middle school, and we had sexual relations that winter."

Garo Sero Yeon claimed that representatives from Kim Soohyun's agency, as well as Lee Jinho and others, attempted to persuade the informant to hand over the recording by offering large sums of money. It was revealed that Lee offered A "one billion won for the recording," and another individual offered four billion won. Phone recordings were also presented suggesting that entertainment reporter B and legal professional C either approached or made threatening remarks to the informant.

YouTuber Lee Jinho held a counter-press conference nearby that afternoon, completely denying Garo Sero Yeon's claims. Lee asserted, "The audio released by informant A was manipulated using AI, and A, who currently resides in New Jersey, is a former entertainment industry worker with a history of fraud." He added, "Official verification revealed that some of the recordings were produced after Kim Saeron's death, and metadata analysis uncovered evidence of manipulation."