His agency announced Sunday night that Kim’s legal representative will also be present to issue a statement. However, “Aside from the official statement from Kim, there will be no Q&A session.”
The bereaved family of the late actress Kim Sae-ron recently claimed through a quasi-news YouTube channel that the actor had been in a relationship with her for six years, starting when she was 15. They also released photos purportedly taken during that period, along with text messages exchanged between the two.
Under current South Korean law, individuals over the age of 19 are prohibited from engaging in sexual relationships with anyone under 16. However, at the time of the alleged relationship between the two Kim’s, the legal threshold prohibited physical intimacy only between an adult over 19 and a minor under 13. While the actor’s reported conduct may not have been unlawful under the law at the time, it remains a subject of public scrutiny given prevailing social and cultural norms in the country.
Initially, the actor’s agency denied any romantic involvement between the two.
However, after the actress’ family released pictures of them together, Kim revised his statement, saying, “The dating relationship lasted from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020, after the actress had become an adult, over the age of 19.”
In response, the late actress’ family expressed anger and released text messages allegedly exchanged between the two Kim’s when the actress was 14 and 16 years old. They also claimed the actress had preserved multiple cell phones and laptops used to communicate with Kim, suggesting that there is more evidence to back up their accusations against the actor.
As conflicting accounts continue to fly from both sides, the entertainment and advertising industries are distancing themselves from the actor. Several brands that had hired him as a model have terminated contracts or replaced his image. A variety show featuring him has decided to edit out his scenes entirely, and the release of the highly anticipated drama “Knockoff,” originally slated for the first half of this year, has been postponed indefinitely.
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