Actor Kim Soo Hyun’s legal battle has entered a new and aggressive phase. According to a report by JoongAng Ilbo on October 20, his side has now requested the closure of the Garosero Research Institute YouTube channel, citing violations of YouTube’s policies on harassment and cyberbullying.
Kim Soo Hyun (Credits: Koreaboo)
The move marks a major escalation. Earlier this month, on October 3, Kim Soo Hyun’s side had asked for the deletion of 30 videos about the actor posted on the channel. Those videos remain publicly accessible, so his team has shifted from seeking individual video removal to demanding action against the entire channel to stop the spread of related content.
False Evidence and Defamation Claims
Kim Soo Hyun’s legal representatives stated that “it has been confirmed through investigation that Garosero Research Institute defamed the actor and threatened him based on false evidence such as AI-manipulated voice recordings.” They stressed that the channel must be promptly shut down to stop secondary damage, warning that as long as false content circulates, the harm will keep repeating.
Kim Se Ui, the head of Garosero Research Institute, had claimed in a YouTube broadcast that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron since her minor years and, through legal professionals, threatened her, leading to her death. The prosecution judged that Kim Se Ui distributed false information to defame Kim Soo Hyun, and arrested and indicted him in June.
A Cleared Name and a Court Date Ahead
The escalation comes just as the actor was cleared of being the party involved in Kim Sae Ron’s KakaoTalk messages — Dispatch revealed the messages actually involve a different celebrity. Separately from the criminal proceedings, Kim Soo Hyun’s side is also pursuing a court order: on September 22 they filed to delete videos and ban their posting, with a hearing set for November 4.
Until the court’s decision is issued, the videos are likely to stay online, and Kim Soo Hyun’s side maintains that additional defamation and secondary harm may occur in the meantime. That is why they are pushing YouTube for proactive measures alongside the legal procedures. The key question now is whether YouTube will accept the request — moving from video takedowns to full channel closure is a much bigger ask, and all eyes are on how the platform judges the policy violations.
Source: Koreaboo — read the full story there.
