South Korea Police Seek Arrest of YouTuber Over AI-Faked Evidence in Actor’s Scandal

South Korean police are seeking an arrest warrant for a YouTuber accused of faking evidence to defame actor Kim Soo-hyun, sparking a scandal that ended his career, local media reported.

Authorities allege the YouTuber manipulated screenshots of text messages and shared an audio file created using artificial intelligence to suggest Kim Soo-hyun dated actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor.

The allegations emerged last year, shortly after Kim Sae-ron died by suicide at age 24.

The scandal sent shockwaves through South Korea and derailed the career of Kim Soo-hyun, a household name who has consistently denied the claims.

Months after Kim Sae-ron’s death, the YouTuber posted a voice recording online in which the actress appeared to say she had been dating Kim Soo-hyun since middle school.

The YouTuber, Kim Se-ui, who has nearly 1 million subscribers on his channel, also presented screenshots of text messages purportedly exchanged between the actor and actress.

Authorities now say the voice recording was generated by AI.

They further allege that the YouTuber manipulated screenshots from the actress’s phone to make it appear she had been texting Kim Soo-hyun.

The YouTuber knowingly spread false claims for financial gain, authorities said.

His actions “collapsed Kim Soo-hyun’s social base and his economic activities across the board, and destroyed the basis for his professional survival,” according to a police filing reported by JoongAng Ilbo.

Police also said Kim Soo-hyun is “still receiving psychiatric treatment.”

The YouTuber Kim Se-ui has since posted a video calling the authorities’ allegations a “subterfuge meant to disrupt his investigation.”

Celebrities in South Korea face intense scrutiny and high standards, with careers often ruined by allegations ranging from sexual assault to being exposed as teenage bullies or wearing counterfeit designer clothes.

Kim Sae-ron herself faced online abuse after being fined for a drink-driving incident in 2022, despite having been regarded as one of South Korea’s most promising young actresses.

Shortly after her death, online rumors alleged that Kim Soo-hyun dated her when she was 15, gaining traction after the YouTuber posted texts and audio, and the actress’s family publicly supported the claims.

Kim Soo-hyun’s agency initially denied the couple ever dated.

The actor later admitted to dating Kim Sae-ron for a year, but only after she had reached adulthood.

At a tearful press conference in March 2025, he insisted, “I can’t admit to something I didn’t do,” referring to the underage dating allegations.

That month, he filed criminal complaints and lawsuits against the YouTuber and the actress’s family for making false accusations.

Since then, Kim Soo-hyun, who starred in multiple hit TV shows and advertisements, has made no official public appearances.

The release of “Knock-Off,” a Disney+ series he was working on when the scandal broke, has been postponed indefinitely.

Kim Soo-hyun and his agency have not commented on the authorities’ application for an arrest warrant.