[Exclusive]'Kim Soo-hyun defamation arrest' Kim Se-ye's trial ultimately reassigned to a collegiate panel

*This content was translated by AI.

The operator of the channel "Garo-Sero Research Institute" (hereinafter "GaSeYeon"), Kim Se-ui (CEO), has had their trial for charges including defamation of actor Kim Soo-hyun transferred to a collegiate panel.

According to a StarNews investigation on the 25th, the Seoul Central District Court issued a decision to convene a collegiate panel on the 19th regarding Kim Se-ui (CEO)'s case involving violations of the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation), among other charges. The case was initially assigned to Criminal Division 14, which is handled by a single judge, but was reassigned to Criminal Collegiate Panel 26, where three judges will preside, following the decision to convene a collegiate panel.

A decision to convene a collegiate panel is a procedure that allows a case originally assigned to a single judge to be heard by a collegiate panel, considering factors such as the importance of the case. The court may assign cases with complex factual or legal issues, those with significant social impact, or those requiring specialized judgment to a collegiate panel.

In this trial, an arrest and indictment decision was made in June, followed by two postponements and changes to the hearing dates. Additionally, Kim Se-ui (CEO) filed a petition for a quasi-appeal seeking cancellation and modification of the law enforcement authorities' seizure order, along with a request for suspension of execution, and subsequently requested a citizen participation trial. Thus, even before the trial officially began, there has been considerable controversy. In light of these circumstances, the court's decision to reassign the case to a collegiate panel suggests that the proceedings may be prolonged.

Meanwhile, the Women and Children Crime Investigation Division 2 (Chief Prosecutor Park Ji-na) of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office arrested and indicted Kim Se-ui (CEO) on charges including violation of the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation), violation of the Special Act on Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (distribution of recordings made using cameras, etc.), and violation of the Stalking Punishment Act.

Kim Se-ui (CEO) is accused of spreading false information through YouTube live broadcasts and press conferences from March to May 2025, claiming that the late Kim Sae-ron had been in a relationship with adult Kim Soo-hyun for about six years since she was 15 years old as a minor, and that the direct cause of her death was financial pressure from Kim Soo-hyun's debt repayment. Additionally, Kim Se-ui (CEO) is also accused of fabricating false information by manipulating the late Kim Sae-ron's voice using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to defame Kim Soo-hyun.

The court issued an arrest warrant on May 26 after conducting a pre-trial investigation into Kim Se-ye's detention (substantive review of the warrant), citing concerns over evidence destruction and flight risk. At that time, police stated in their arrest warrant application that "Kim Se-ui (CEO) was well aware that Kim Soo-hyun had no relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron during her minor years and that Kim Soo-hyun was not the cause of her death, yet distributed false information for the purpose of defamation." They further reported that "on May 7, 2025, during a press conference, Kim Se-ui (CEO) played an AI-manipulated audio file of the deceased and falsely claimed that 'the late Kim Sae-ron had been in a relationship with Kim Soo-hyun since middle school and had their first sexual encounter during the winter break of her second year of middle school.'"

Subsequently, Kim Se-ui (CEO) filed an appeal against the detention order, but the court rejected it, stating there was "no grounds for the request."

In the indictment, the Prosecutors' Office stated that Kim Se-ui (CEO) threatened to distribute materials related to Kim Soo-hyun during a YouTube live broadcast. The office alleged that Kim Se-ui (CEO) broadcast 25 instances of false information on YouTube, including statements such as "Kim Soo-hyun has been dating [the late Kim Sae-ron] since her second year of middle school," with the intent to defame Kim Soo-hyun by revealing lies and damaging his reputation.

Furthermore, the indictment noted that Kim Se-ui (CEO) publicly released photos exposing Kim Soo-hyun's lower body and stated, "There are other photos besides this. I will gradually reveal Kim Soo-hyun's shameless behavior," threatening to continuously release photos related to his private life unless he publicly apologized. The indictment also alleged that Kim Se-ui (CEO) forced him to admit to a relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron and apologize.

The prosecution also found that Kim Se-ui (CEO) threatened Kim Soo-hyun's side by saying, "I hope you know that the production company can claim damages of 120 billion won or 180 billion won from Kim Soo-hyun," implying they would distribute materials related to the drama featuring Kim Soo-hyun once it was released.

It remains to be seen what arguments Kim Se-ui (CEO), who has continuously exposed Kim Soo-hyun's private life issues, will present in this first trial regarding defamation of Kim Soo-hyun.

Ahead of the substantive review of the warrant, when asked if he admitted to the charges, Kim Se-ui (CEO) responded, "I do not admit to anything and plan to refute everything," adding that "(the warrant) is nonsense without even a basic summary of facts." Kim Se-ui (CEO) continued, "The issue is that we submitted AI-manipulated audio, yet the National Forensic Service stated that AI manipulation analysis is impossible. I cannot accept that the South Korean police are denying the National Forensic Service and trusting a private company hired by Kim Soo-hyun."

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*This content was translated by AI.