Was Kim Soo Hyun dating another woman during military service? Friends say he was ‘very involved and serious’

Also read: ‘Kim Sae Ron knew Kim Soo Hyun’s girlfriend’: YouTuber claims actor was in a serious relationship, releases new evidence

This statement changes a lot. Especially since rumours of him dating Kim Sae Ron first surfaced from a 2018 video where the two were seen sharing chicken stew. But Lee says that clip doesn’t prove anything romantic. “She visited his family once and ordered food — that’s it,” he explained. She also reportedly knew about his girlfriend at the time. “It is unclear what feelings Kim Sae Ron had toward Kim Soo Hyun at the time, but it is confirmed that she actively reached out to him,” Jin Ho added, further saying that the actor “kept his distance” at the time.

The video then pointed to GaroSero’s claim that a photo of Sae Ron and Kim Soo Hyun cheek-to-cheek was taken when she was 16. But digital experts found that the photo was actually from 2019, when she was 20. Lee added that Kim Soo Hyun is known to be extremely private, spending most of his downtime bowling, singing, or hanging out at home with friends or family. “Even Dispatch once named him the hardest celebrity to catch in a dating scandal,” Lee pointed out.

Also read: Rashmika Mandanna calls this Kim Soo Hyun K-drama her favourite; says she loved C-drama First Frost

Lee Jin Ho, meanwhile, has faced backlash for his claims. Kim Sae Ron’s family even filed defamation and stalking complaints against him. But Lee says he only came forward to set the record straight. “Unless the truth is clarified,” he said, “too many people will be unfairly accused.” Meanwhile, after all the noise around Kim Soo Hyun being accused of dating Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor, a petition called the “Kim Soo Hyun Prevention Act” was filed. The petition demands raising the legal conviction age for minors in such cases to prevent these situations from repeating. The petition blew up. According to the National Assembly, it got over 53,000 signatures in just a few days—way faster than anyone expected. They were supposed to hit that number in 30 days, but they crossed the line in a week or two. This all came right after Soo Hyun’s surprise press conference on March 31, where he came clean and said yes, he dated Kim Sae Ron—but not when she was underage.