New developments have emerged in the controversy surrounding actor Kim Soo-Hyun and his past relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-Ron.
On Wednesday, Garo Sero Institute released an audio recording during a press conference in Seoul, attended by the legal representative of Kim Sae-Ron's bereaved family, as per South Korean news portal Koreaboo.
In the recording, a voice identified as Kim Sae-Ron's can be heard discussing a relationship:
Kim Sae Ron: "The first time we did it was when I was in 8th grade, during the winter vacation."
Acquaintance: "Wow, 8th grade?"
Kim Sae Ron: "Even then... F***, thinking about it now, should I say that I was being taken advantage of?"
Acquaintance: "F**, of course you were being taken advantage of...I'm seriously going to kill him, that f***er."
Kim Sae Ron: "There aren't many people who know that we dated when I was in middle school, but they all had the same reaction. They saw me as the crazy one, asked why I was letting him get away with it."
Kim Soo-Hyun has been accused of dating Kim Sae-Ron when she was a minor. The actor recently addressed these allegations in a press conference, stating: "I'll address the biggest concern - I did not date the deceased when she was a minor. We dated five years ago for about a year, long before Queen of Tears aired."
He explained his previous denial of the relationship by saying, "As the lead actor of Queen of Tears, I couldn't confirm the relationship publicly because of its potential impact on the cast and crew."
Kim also denied claims that his agency pressured Sae-Ron over debts, adding, "Aside from the fact that we were both actors, we were simply an ordinary couple who broke up over time."
The controversy has reportedly affected Kim Soo-Hyun's career, with projects put on hold and brand deals cancelled.