YouTuber appears for arrest warrant hearing for alleged defamation against actor Kim Soo-hyun

A YouTuber accused of spreading false and fabricated information about actor Kim Soo-hyun appeared in court on Tuesday for an arrest warrant hearing over his allegations.

Kim Se-ui, the operator of the YouTube channel Hoverlab, is accused of defaming the actor by falsely claiming that Kim Soo-hyun had dated late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor and that pressure from his side to repay a debt led to her death early last year.

The YouTuber is also accused of creating doctored audio recordings of the late actress using AI technology to falsely claim that she had sexual relations with the actor when she was in middle school.

“I do not acknowledge any of the charges,” Kim Se-ui said outside the Seoul Central District Court. “It is a nonsensical warrant that does not even sort out the basic facts.”

He vowed to file complaints against the police officers and prosecutors involved in filing the warrant.

Police filed for the warrant on defamation and other charges on May 14 after determining that Kim Se-ui must have been aware that the allegations against the actor were false.

Hoverlab raised the allegations about Kim Soo-hyun, one of the country's most prominent actors, in March 2025 after the actress was found dead at her home the previous month, following an apparent suicide at the age of 24.

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling. Contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

Yonhap