Kim Soo-hyun testifies at Kim Se-eui trial without facing defendant

Actor Kim Soo-hyun appeared as a witness Wednesday at the trial of Kim Se-eui, head of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute, who faces charges of spreading false information about the actor. The two did not come face to face in the courtroom.

Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 26, presided over by Chief Judge Lee Hyeon-gyeong, opened the first hearing in the case against Kim Se-eui at 2 p.m. Wednesday. He faces charges of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, as well as violations of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

Kim Soo-hyun arrived at the court around 1:40 p.m. but did not appear before reporters.

About 30 minutes into the hearing, the court closed the proceedings to the public — citing the sexual crimes charges — and proceeded with the witness examination of Kim Soo-hyun.

The examination lasted about four and a half hours, concluding around 7:10 p.m., with the hearing wrapping up around 7:30 p.m.

The court determined that Kim Soo-hyun would have difficulty testifying freely in Kim Se-eui's presence and ordered the two separated so they would not face each other.

Kim Se-eui objected, saying he had "the right to question the witness directly."

The court rejected the objection, told Kim Se-eui to submit questions through his attorney and ordered him to leave the courtroom.

Before the proceedings were closed to the public, Kim Se-eui's defense denied the charges once more.

"We deny all charges in the indictment," the defense attorney said, adding that "the facts stated by Kim Se-eui are not false, and the relevant materials were verified with the bereaved family and others."

Given the floor to speak, Kim Se-eui asked the court to grant bail as soon as possible. "While in detention, I cannot verify or investigate any materials," he said. "Please allow bail so that I can fight this case against Kim Soo-hyun on equal footing."

The court scheduled the next hearing for Friday.

Kim Se-eui was indicted and detained in June on charges of spreading false claims via YouTube and other platforms — alleging that Kim Soo-hyun had dated the late Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor, and that pressure from Kim Soo-hyun's side to repay debts was the direct cause of her death.

Additional charges include defaming Kim Soo-hyun by distributing an AI-manipulated voice recording of Kim Sae-ron, as well as threatening to expose private photographs and personal materials related to Kim Soo-hyun without consent.

Kim Se-eui applied for bail last month, citing mental illness and other health conditions.

Meanwhile, Kim Soo-hyun's side has filed a request for the deletion and prohibition of Garosero Research Institute YouTube videos containing defamatory content about the actor, and is awaiting a court ruling.