Actor Kim Soo-hyun cleared of child welfare law violation over alleged underage relationship with late Kim Sae-ron

Police have cleared actor Kim Soo-hyun of allegations that he dated the late actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor.

The Seoul Seongdong Police Station recently decided not to refer the case to prosecutors. Kim Soo-hyun had faced charges of violating the Child Welfare Act and filing a false report.

In May last year, Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family filed a complaint with police against Kim Soo-hyun, alleging the two had been in a relationship since she was a minor, in violation of the Child Welfare Act.

At a press conference at the time, the family released audio recordings the deceased had made with an acquaintance during her lifetime.

The recordings, which used a voice-altering effect, included a statement that she had "dated (Kim Soo-hyun) from middle school and broke up after going to university."

Kim Soo-hyun's side, however, said the audio file had been fabricated using AI.

The controversy began in March last year, when the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute claimed the late actress had been in a relationship with Kim Soo-hyun for six years starting at age 15.

In response, Kim Soo-hyun acknowledged the relationship but denied it had begun while she was a minor, and filed a complaint against the bereaved family and the channel's operator on charges of defamation through the spread of false information.