Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Geon-mo, sobbing over 'fake news' before returning through the fog [★FOCUS]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Kim Soo-hyun and singer Kim Geon-mo, who suffered from false personal life revelations by 'Garoseoro Research Institute' (hereinafter Garoseoro), have finally resumed activities following the arrest of Garoseoro Kim Se-ui (CEO).

On the 25th, Kim Geon-mo announced that he would return to the public by releasing a new single titled 'Where Are We Going?' on various music platforms at 6 p.m. on July 1. This marks Kim Geon-mo's first new song in 10 years since the release of his 25th-anniversary debut album '50' in 2016.

From September last year through March this year, Kim Geon-mo held the '25-26 Kim Geon-mo Live Tour' in Busan, Daegu, Suwon, Daejeon, Incheon, Changwon, and Seoul, completing preparations for his comeback. Throughout the tour, Kim Geon-mo stated, "I am preparing a new album with the mindset of 'debuting' again and will approach the public," hinting that this comeback represents a 'second starting point' in his 35-year music career.

In August 2016, Kim Geon-mo was embroiled in allegations of sexually assaulting a man named A at a nightclub in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. In December 2019, A appeared on the YouTube channel 'Garoseoro' to make these claims and subsequently filed a lawsuit against Kim Geon-mo.

At the time, the controversy intensified because Kim Geon-mo had just announced his marriage to pianist and composer Jang Ji-yeon, who is 13 years his junior. Kim Geon-mo strongly denied the allegations, stating, "I do not know who A is." The Prosecution Service ultimately decided not to prosecute the case in 2021 due to insufficient evidence.

Although Kim Geon-mo was cleared of the sexual assault charges, he suspended his activities due to the fallout from the controversy. At the time, he withdrew from the SBS variety program 'My Little Old Boy,' and his 25th-anniversary concert was completely cancelled. Although Kim Geon-mo and Jang Ji-yeon legally became a married couple through marriage registration in 2019, they divorced two years and eight months later in 2022.

Kim Soo-hyun, who endured a year that felt like 10 years amidst injustice, is finally making his return. On the 8th, a representative of Kim Soo-hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, told StarNews, "Kim Soo-hyun will shoot an advertisement for the Philippine fashion brand 'Bench' on July 14."

Kim Soo-hyun had suspended filming for the Disney+ series 'Knock-Off' and ceased all activities after being engulfed by negative rumors spread by Garoseoro, including claims that he dated the late actor Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. It is also reported that Kim Soo-hyun, who was both a 'global star' and an 'advertising star,' faced damage compensation lawsuits totaling over 10 billion won from companies including Prombio, Classys, Kukje Electronics, and Trend Maker.

Kim Soo-hyun's dark period was reversed when Kim Se-ui, the founder of Garoseoro, was arrested on charges of defamation and extortion. On the 5th, Gold Medalist, Kim Soo-hyun's agency, announced regarding the criminal complaint filed against Kim Se-ui: "According to the police investigation, Kim Se-ui was found guilty of violating the Act on the Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (defamation by spreading false facts), the Special Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, and the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (distribution of filmed materials using cameras, etc.), attempted coercion, and extortion. Considering the seriousness of the matter, the police have transferred Kim Se-ui to the Prosecution Service for arrest."

Subsequently, on the 23rd, the Women and Juvenile Crime Investigation Division 2 of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Ji-na) indicted Kim Se-ui on charges of violating the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation), the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (distribution of filmed materials using cameras, etc.), and the Special Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes.

The Prosecution Service cooperated with the police from the arrest warrant application stage to ensure Kim Se-ui was transferred for arrest. Following victim interviews and supplementary investigations, including audio file analysis by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Forensic Department, it was confirmed that Kim Se-ui arbitrarily edited and distorted data, and indiscriminately used false data without even minimal fact-checking to spread false information regarding the victim's private life.

Kim Se-ui is accused of spreading false facts through YouTube live broadcasts and press conferences from March to May last year, claiming that Kim Sae-ron dated Kim Soo-hyun for about six years starting from when she was a 15-year-old minor, and that the direct cause of the late actress's death was pressure from Kim Soo-hyun's debt repayment. Additionally, Kim Se-ui is also accused of damaging Kim Soo-hyun's reputation by fabricating false facts using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate Kim Sae-ron's voice.

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*This content was translated by AI.