Kim Sae Ron Used Without Consent: AI Created Fake Recordings For Money

Late Korean actress Kim Sae Ron is once again at the center of a disturbing controversy, even after her passing. Multiple allegedly manipulated audio recordings using her voice have been discovered, with conflicting claims about her past relationship with actor Kim Soo Hyun. According to the June 14 broadcast of MBC's investigative program Straight, these recordings were reportedly used in attempts to demand money.

The episode focused on recent actions by Kim Se Ui, a YouTube creator behind the channel Garo Sero Institute. He was recently arrested on charges including defamation of Kim Soo Hyun, by spreading false claims that the actor had dated Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor.

During the broadcast, Straight examined an audio recording that Kim Se Ui had released on May 7. The recording allegedly featured Kim Sae Ron saying she had dated Kim Soo Hyun while she was underage and he was an adult. However, police have reportedly concluded that the audio had been manipulated using AI.

According to Straight, the informant who provided the recording to Garo Sero Institute had approached Kim Soo Hyun's agency about a month earlier with a completely different version of events. This included a recording in which Kim Sae Ron allegedly denied dating him while underage. In other words, the late actress's voice was allegedly used to create recordings containing completely different claims.

The informant is said to have approached one entertainment YouTuber with audio files. At least four known versions of the recordings exist. Kim Soo Hyun's legal representative, attorney Go Sang Rok, said there are multiple versions of recordings with different contents that are being claimed to be Kim Sae Ron's actual voice.

The reported timing of the alleged recording raised questions. The informant claimed to have met and recorded Kim Sae Ron in January 2025, about one month before her death on February 16. This was also before the controversy over whether she had dated Kim Soo Hyun as a minor had publicly emerged.