A whistleblower who released a recording allegedly involving the late actress Kim Sae Ron and actor Kim Soo Hyun has shared a video displaying serious physical injuries, days after accusations that earlier photos of the reported attack were fabricated.
On May 7, the Garo Sero Research Institute held a press conference where it played a recording said to feature Kim Sae Ron stating that Kim Soo Hyun had sex with her when she was in middle school.
The conversation, according to Garo Sero, was recorded with the actress's consent prior to her death in February.
During the same event, the institute alleged that the informant who possessed this recording was "brutally attacked by two assailants" on May 1 in New Jersey.
"The recording was made with the consent of the late Kim Sae Ron and the informant," Garo Sero stated. "It contained shocking and explicit content."
The group further alleged the attack involved two individuals "from Korea and China," and that the victim suffered severe nerve damage and nine stab wounds to the neck.
Garo Sero added that the case is under investigation by the FBI, not local police in New Jersey.
In response, Kim Soo Hyun's agency, GOLD MEDALIST, dismissed the allegations and claimed that the injury photos previously circulated by Garo Sero were taken from the internet.
"Garo Sero's false claims are unacceptable and difficult to accept even with common sense," the agency stated.
"The photos revealed as evidence can be found through an internet search. Garo Sero and the informant are claiming that a photo they found online is an assault photo."
On May 8, Garo Sero released a new video in an attempt to refute these claims. In it, the whistleblower—whose identity remains undisclosed—showed fresh injuries on both hands, including the removal of a dressing on his left palm.
He also showed his right arm, which bore multiple wounds. He displayed the date and time on his phone — May 7, 3:46 p.m. KST — to verify the footage's authenticity.
The whistleblower claimed he had not been discharged from the hospital and was only briefly home to record the video. "I couldn't remove the dressing on my finger as it could pose a risk of infection," he said in the video.
He added that he recorded the video instead of sending photos to prevent Kim Soo Hyun's representatives from labeling the incident as fabricated.
Kim Soo Hyun's agency has not issued a response to the video as of Thursday.
Kim Sae Ron passed away on Feb. 16, 2025, at the age of 24. The scandal surrounding the alleged recording and her relationship with Kim Soo Hyun has continued to develop posthumously, with increasing public scrutiny and legal attention.
