After a brief denial, the actor said the previous day that he would come clean sometime next week, but he apparently couldn't remain silent any longer as the controversy snowballed further with more evidence surfacing about his alleged long-term romantic relationship with the actress.
"The two Kims had been seeing each other from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020, but only after she became an adult," the statement said, dismissing swirling online speculations that the actor had a relationship with the actress while she was still a minor.
"Kim has been suffering from severe psychological distress since the actress's sudden death, as groundless rumors have kept spreading," the agency said.
The 24-year-old actress, best known for her role in the 2010 hit action thriller "The Man from Nowhere" was found dead of apparent suicide at her home in eastern Seoul last month.
Despite the statement, many seem unconvinced due to a love letter allegedly sent to his girlfriend, which was revealed during a live feed on a YouTube channel. The letter is believed to have been written sometime in 2018, when she was 17.
That would make their relationship not illegal if consensual, even though she was still a teenager. But it often faces social stigma in South Korea.
The agency also accused the channel of disseminating unverified information and provocative photos. "Kim is enduring a great deal of pain," it said, adding that his life has become unbearable due to paparazzi relentlessly trying to capture his every move since the allegations emerged.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
View more comments