A South Korean court is reviewing the legality of the detention of Kim Se-eui, head of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute, who is accused of spreading false claims that actor Kim Soo-hyun had dated the late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor.
The Seoul Central District Court began the detention review hearing for Kim at 2:10 p.m. on Wednesday. He has been held in custody on charges including defamation, intimidation, and attempted coercion.
Kim entered Courtroom 319 at the Seoul Central District Court at around 1:44 p.m., his hands bound with rope and accompanied by three police officers. He walked into the courtroom in silence, wearing a faint smile.
Kim filed for the detention review last Wednesday, five days after his arrest. The detention review is a procedure in which the court reexamines the legality and necessity of detention. After reviewing arguments from both sides, the court is expected to issue a ruling as early as Wednesday afternoon.
Kim is accused of using YouTube and other platforms to spread false claims that Kim Soo-hyun had dated Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor and that pressure from Kim Soo-hyun's side over debt repayment was the direct cause of her death. He is also accused of defaming Kim Soo-hyun by using artificial intelligence (AI) to fabricate Kim Sae-ron's voice in statements such as, "I had sex with Kim Soo-hyun for the first time during winter break in the second year of middle school." Police said Kim acted in this manner despite knowing the claims were false in order to attract public attention, and on the 14th of last month applied for an arrest warrant citing charges including violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.
Attending the earlier arrest warrant hearing, Kim said, "The warrant is riddled with clearly false claims," adding, "I will file a complaint on the 27th with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against the investigators involved on charges of distortion of law, dissemination of false information, and abuse of authority leading to unlawful confinement."
