South Korean prosecutors have sought an arrest warrant for Kim Se-eui, head of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute, on charges of spreading false information about actor Kim Soo-hyun. The investigation includes false claims related to the background of the late Kim Sae-ron's death and allegations of AI voice manipulation.
According to legal sources on the 20th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office recently sought an arrest warrant for Kim on charges of defamation and violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (filming and distribution using cameras, etc.). Earlier, the Seoul Gangnam Police Station applied for an arrest warrant on the same charges on the 14th.
Kim is accused of spreading false information through YouTube broadcasts and other channels, alleging that Kim Soo-hyun had dated Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor and that pressure from Kim Soo-hyun's side to repay debts was a direct factor behind Kim Sae-ron's death.
Investigative authorities are also examining allegations that Kim defamed the actor by using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate Kim Sae-ron's voice and then disclosing the related content.
The pre-arrest interrogation of Kim is scheduled to take place at the Seoul Central District Court at 10:30 a.m. on the 26th.
In May last year, Kim held a press conference together with Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family and released a recording purportedly showing that "Kim Soo-hyun had been dating Kim Sae-ron since she was a minor." In response, Kim Soo-hyun's side rebutted that the recording was "fabricated using AI" and filed a complaint against Kim on charges including defamation.
Police commissioned the National Forensic Service to analyze the recording, and the agency reportedly returned an "inconclusive" opinion to police in November last year regarding whether the file had been manipulated by AI.
