Recording reveals late Korean actress Kim Sae-ron's underage relationship with actor Kim Soo-hyun

An audio recording revealed by Kim Sae-ron's family on Wednesday shows that the late South Korean actress had her first sex with fellow actor Kim Soo-hyun in the second year of middle school.

A press conference was held by the YouTube channel Garo Sero Research Institute in Seoul on Wednesday, featuring the legal representative of the deceased actress's family.

During the event, the lawyer released a recording reportedly made by a family member on January 10, 2025 – just one month before Kim Sae-ron's death aged 24 – at a coffee shop in New Jersey, United States.

In the audio, Kim Sae-ron is heard confiding that she began dating Kim Soo-hyun in middle school and that relationship lasted until shortly after she entered university.

The actress also claimed that their first sexual relationship occurred during the winter break of her second year in middle school.

"Looking back, I feel like I was completely deceived," Kim Sae-ron said in the recording. "People keep asking me why I tolerated it for so long."

Kim Sae-ron also alleged that Kim Soo-hyun once referred to another female idol he had been involved with as "seaweed," claiming she smelled like it and even showed her those remarks on his phone.

In response, Kim Soo-hyun's side issued a statement on Wednesday expressing concern over the "continued dissemination of false information." They reiterated their position, maintaining that Kim Soo-hyun never dated Kim Sae-ron during her minor years.

The controversy first erupted on March 10 when Garo Sero Research Institute alleged that Kim Soo-hyun, 37, had been in a six-year relationship with Kim Sae-ron, who was just 15 years old at the time. This caused significant public outrage.

Following the allegations, Kim Soo-hyun's agency, GOLDMEDALIST, issued a statement acknowledging the relationship but clarified that it began in the summer of 2019, after Kim Sae-ron had become a legal adult. The agency further stated that the relationship ended in the fall of 2020.

On March 31, Kim Soo-hyun held a press conference, offering a tearful apology and confirming that he had a one-year relationship with Kim Sae-ron. However, he denied any romantic involvement with her before she turned 18.