On March 31, Kim Soo-hyun appeared at a hotel in Seoul to make a formal statement. Dressed neatly, he denied claims from the late Kim Sae-ron’s family that he dated her when she was a minor and pressured her to pay 700 million KRW in damages related to her DUI incident.

Kim Soo-hyun confessed, “I see myself as a coward. I think I’ve always been too focused on protecting what I have. The late Kim Sae-ron and I dated for about a year, five years ago four years before ‘Queen of Tears’ aired.”

The bereaved family had previously alleged that the two were in a relationship from November 2015 to July 2021. Kim Sae-ron was born in July 2000, while Kim Soo-hyun was born in February 1988.

Kim Soo-hyun said, “Whenever I had to choose between Kim Soo-hyun the person and Kim Soo-hyun the star, I always chose the star. But even if I could go back to the time when ‘Queen of Tears’ was airing, I would make the same choice again. Could I really make a decision just to ease my own mind? No matter how much I think about it, that wouldn’t be right. That’s a burden someone living Kim Soo-hyun’s life must carry. If anyone wants to call that cowardly or selfish, I’ll accept it.”

Kim Soo-hyun also claimed that, according to linguistic analysis, the person communicating with Kim Sae-ron via KakaoTalk in 2016 and 2018 was someone else, not him.

During the press conference, he broke into tears while firmly denying allegations of grooming and any connection to Kim Sae-ron’s death.

Following the event, a particular scene from his past drama “My Love from the Star” began to resurface online. In the drama, top star Cheon Song-yi (played by Jun Ji-hyun), falsely accused, says, “That’s it—I’m going to hold a press conference. Why should I hide? I did nothing wrong. I need to say what I have to say!”

To this, her friend advises her on how to “nail” a press conference, “Wipe that smile off your face. Go for maximum sadness and innocence. Lower your gaze 15 degrees. Look like you might burst into tears at any moment. Don’t wear accessoriesit’s not a photoshoot. Wear all black. Makeup should be dull and haggard worn-out is better. Don’t forget a gauze handkerchief. You’ll cry at the end. Keep your voice shaky the whole time, but don’t actually cryit might look desperate. But in the last five minutes, let it all out boom.”

Netizens immediately drew comparisons between Kim Soo-hyun’s demeanor and this fictional advice. Comments under the resurfaced clip included, “Came here after watching Kim Soo-hyun’s press conference it’s uncanny” and “Did he follow this script line by line? The 15-degree gaze, all-black outfit, worn-out makeup everything matches.”

Meanwhile, Kim Soo-hyun has filed a 12 billion KRW lawsuit against Kim Sae-ron’s family and the controversial YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute.