Kim Soo-hyun's lawyer says grooming allegations 'officially found groundless'

The legal representative of actor Kim Soo-hyun said grooming allegations against his client have been "officially found to be groundless" following a police decision not to refer the case to prosecutors.

Attorney Ko Sang-rok said in a post on his YouTube channel Thursday that the outcome was "a natural result, as the complaint was filed on the premise of facts that never existed in the first place."

Ko added that the decision "carries significant meaning in the process of restoring Kim Soo-hyun's reputation," saying he had long awaited the outcome.

The Seoul Seongdong Police Station closed the case Wednesday, ruling there were no grounds for charges against Kim under the Child Welfare Act or for filing a false complaint.

Ko said the most serious and damaging of the allegations raised against Kim in March last year was the so-called grooming claim.

"Following the earlier indictment and detention of Kim Se-eui, Kim Soo-hyun has now also been cleared of the grooming allegation — the central claim that had weighed most heavily on him," Ko said. "I hope more people will come to see him based on objectively confirmed facts, rather than a distorted image."

The case began in May last year when the family of the late Kim Sae-ron filed a complaint against Kim Soo-hyun under the Child Welfare Act, alleging that the deceased had been in a relationship with him since she was a minor. At a press conference, the family released excerpts of a recorded conversation between the deceased and an acquaintance, claiming she had been in a relationship with Kim since middle school.

Kim Soo-hyun's side rebuffed the claim, saying the recording had been manipulated using AI. While acknowledging that the two had been in a relationship, his representatives said the relationship began only after the late actress had reached adulthood.