Police find Kim Soo-hyun was not the sender in chat logs

Actor Kim Soo-hyun was not the person involved in a 2016 chat message exchange concerning an alleged past relationship with the late actress Kim Sae-ron, with forensic analysis identifying a different celebrity as the actual participant, Dispatch reported on March 31, 2025.

Forensic Phone Recovery and Celebrity Identification

Police recovered past chat logs and photos by performing forensic examinations on multiple mobile phones used by Kim Sae-ron, according to Dispatch. The investigation confirmed that the late actress maintained close relationships with at least four men and identified an entertainer referred to as celebrity A in the original 2016 KakaoTalk records.

Law enforcement conducted a comprehensive review of spelling and writing styles, determining that celebrity A is a distinct individual from Kim Soo-hyun. Investigators noted that celebrity A correctly followed spacing and spelling conventions, whereas Kim Soo-hyun’s messaging style included frequent typographical deviations and different initial consonants for habitual interjections.

Altered Messaging Logs and Disputed Timeline

An employee at the channel stated during recent police questioning that its head gave instructions to change the sender’s display name to Kim Soo-hyun.

This timeframe aligns with the period Kim Soo-hyun acknowledged having been in a relationship with her.

Legal Fallout and Investigation Outcomes

Kim Soo-hyun acknowledged dating Kim Sae-ron but denied that the relationship involved a minor, subsequently filing a criminal complaint against the bereaved family and the channel’s operator for defamation through the spread of false information.

The family filed a complaint against Kim Soo-hyun with police in May 2024 alleging violations of the Child Welfare Act, but law enforcement recently cleared him of those charges and closed the case without forwarding it for prosecution.