YouTuber Who Spread Grooming Claims About Kim Soo-hyun Referred to Prosecutors

Police have referred YouTuber Kwon Young-chan to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on charges of defamation, concluding that he broadcast unverified grooming allegations against actor Kim Soo-hyun as though they were established fact. The case is part of a broader legal fallout from claims that circulated online in early 2024 and effectively halted Kim Soo-hyun's career for more than a year.

The referral, made on April 22 by the Seoul Seocho Police Station, was filed under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. Kwon, a former comedian who built a substantial audience on YouTube, is not under arrest; the case was forwarded without detention.

Between March and April 2024, Kwon broadcast live on his YouTube channel and stated, as though presenting verified information, that Kim Soo-hyun had groomed the late actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor and had engaged in a sexual relationship with her. Police found that beyond photographs provided by Kim Sae-ron's family, Kwon had not independently confirmed any of the specific claims he aired. In their assessment sent to prosecutors, investigators wrote that Kwon "broadcast as though he had confirmed accurate facts" and that he "appears to have had the purpose of defaming Kim Soo-hyun." Police categorized this as dolus eventualis, a legal standard meaning Kwon recognized the possibility his claims were false and proceeded anyway.

Kwon has consistently denied wrongdoing. He has argued that if the defamation were genuine, it would be the subject's own legal team filing the complaint rather than fan groups, and he maintains the content he broadcast was not false. Those arguments did not persuade investigators.

The complaints against Kwon originated with a joint fan alliance representing Kim Soo-hyun's Korean and international supporters, who in April 2024 filed defamation charges against Kwon and more than 100 other individuals, including commenters who had spread the claims online. The alliance's legal representative at the time described the filings as a response to what they characterized as sustained, malicious defamation. Of the roughly 60 separate complaints filed specifically against Kwon, more than 90% were not forwarded to prosecutors; the current referral covers only a portion of those cases. Whether prosecutors move to indict will depend on their review of the police file and supporting materials.

On the question of the underlying allegations, Kim Soo-hyun's position has been consistent: his team has acknowledged that he and Kim Sae-ron were in a relationship, but insists that relationship began after she reached adulthood. Kim Sae-ron's family filed a complaint last May under the Child Welfare Act, alleging the relationship began when she was a minor. Police ultimately found the allegations unsubstantiated and issued a no-charge decision, declining to refer the case to prosecutors. Kim Soo-hyun's representatives subsequently pointed to that decision as official confirmation that no violation of the Child Welfare Act was found.

Separately, Kim Se-eui, head of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute, which was among the first platforms to spread the original claims, has been detained on charges of disseminating false information.

The legal process now moves to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which will decide whether the evidence supports a formal indictment of Kwon Young-chan.