Kim Se-eui, head of the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute (Gasseyeon), has been sent to prosecutors under detention on charges including defaming actor Kim Soo-hyun.
According to police on Wednesday, the Seoul Gangnam Police Station that day handed Kim over to prosecutors in detention on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and defamation.
Kim is accused of using YouTube broadcasts and other means to raise allegations that Kim Soo-hyun had dated the late Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor, and of spreading false content suggesting that pressure from Kim Soo-hyun's side to repay debts was a direct factor behind Kim Sae-ron's death.
He also faces an additional charge of defamation for using artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate Kim Sae-ron's voice and create false audio suggesting that she had sexual relations when she was a minor.
Police applied for an arrest warrant on the 14th of last month, and the court issued the warrant on the 26th of the same month during a pre-detention suspect interrogation, citing concerns of evidence destruction and flight risk.
When Kim appeared for the warrant review, he pushed back, saying, "The warrant is smeared with clearly false facts," and announced that he would file complaints with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against the investigators for distortion of law, spreading false information, and abuse of authority leading to unlawful confinement.
Refusing to accept the detention, Kim filed for a detention review on the 31st of last month. A detention review is a procedure in which the court reexamines the legality and necessity of detention-based investigation.
After completing questioning on the 2nd, Kim left the court with his hands bound by rope and urged that his detention be canceled, saying, "Extremely serious spreading of false facts and defamation is taking place against me, the late actor Kim Sae-ron, and the actor's bereaved family."
"This detention should be withdrawn quickly so that I can respond actively," he said. "Ultimately, there is a main lawsuit through which the honor of not only myself but also the late actor Kim Sae-ron and the actor's bereaved family can be restored."
He continued, "Because I have been detained like this, the claims of myself, actor Kim Sae-ron, and the bereaved family could all become lies. That is why today's court ruling is extremely important."
However, the Criminal Appeals Division 8-1 of the Seoul Central District Court rejected the request that day, stating that "there is no ground for the request."
After reexamining the legality and necessity of the detention, the court did not accept Kim's claims. As a result, the detention was maintained, and Kim was handed over to prosecutors on the 4th, two days later.
Spreading false information that "Lee Jae-myung went to a juvenile detention center"... Kang Yong-seok fined 10 million won, Kim Se-eui fined 7 million won
