Kim Soo Hyun breaks down while talking about dating Kim Sae Ron, bows out of press conference: 'If you can’t b

South Korean star Kim Soo-hyun, who is at the centre of a major controversy about his alleged relationship with late actor Kim Sae-ron, on Monday denied claims that he dated her when she was underage.

Best known to Indian K-drama fans for It's Okay to Not Be Okay, My Love from the Star, and Queen of Tears, Kim Soo-hyun held a press conference in Seoul to deny allegations that he had any role in her suicide.

 

 

 

 

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Kim Sae-ron was found dead at her home in Seoul on February 16. She was 24. "I accept responsibility for what I have done and will take any criticism for it. But I cannot take responsibility for something I did not do. For the people who still believe in me, I want to set the record straight," the 37-year-old actor said, as he cried inconsolably while addressing the media, reported by The Korea Times.

Kim Soo-hyun, one of the most popular Korean actors worldwide, is facing heat from Kim Sae-ron's family and local media amid claims that he was in a relationship with her when she was just 15, and that his agency GoldMedalist forced her to repay a debt prior to her death.

About the allegations that he dated Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor and groomed her, the actor said they dated for only a year after she became an adult, between 2019 and 2020. "Outside of being actors, we were just like any other couple," he said of Kim Sae-ron, who rose to prominence as a child actor with "The Man From Nowhere" to a leading lady in films such as "A Girl at My Door".

Initially, Kim Soo-hyun had denied any romantic relationship with her. He also defended his previous statement regarding their relationship when Kim Sae-ron posted and later deleted a photo of them together during the "Queen of Tears" run on TV last year.

"I had so much to protect as its lead actor. What would have happened if I had admitted to a year-long relationship? What would happen to the actors, the staff who were working overnight and the production team who had everything staked on that project?" the actor said, according to Korean media.

Kim Soo-hyun also denied the second allegation of financially pressuring Kim Sae-ron following her 2022 drunk driving accident, leading to debt. "As far as I know, she was dating someone else at the time. Given the circumstances, I was very cautious about contacting her ... Her family is accusing me of driving her to her death just because I was her ex-boyfriend. They are pressuring me to confess to something I did not do," he added

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from PTI)