YouTuber arrested for allegedly using AI to defame Korean actor

South Korean authorities have arrested a YouTuber who allegedly made defamatory claims about actor Kim Soo-hyun, fuelling a scandal that halted the A-lister's career.

Police and prosecutors allege that Kim Se-ui, who runs the popular YouTuber channel Hover Lab, had manipulated evidence to falsely claim that Kim Soo-hyun had dated the late actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor - allegations that Kim Soo-hyun denies.

The Seoul Central District Court granted an arrest warrant for the YouTuber on Tuesday, citing concerns that he might destroy evidence or flee.

In a statement on Wednesday, Kim Soo-hyun's agency said that the "truth has been proven".

"The investigation confirmed that all suspicions and evidence raised by Hover Lab against Kim Soo-hyun were unfounded," said the statement, which also thanked the supporters who had stood by the actor.

Speaking to reporters outside the court on Tuesday, ahead of the court's decision, YouTuber Kim Se-ui denied the charges and said the warrant "did not even properly organise the basic facts".

He said he would lodge complaints against the police and prosecutors who requested his arrest.

The allegations against Kim Soo-hyun surfaced last year, shortly after Kim Sae-ron killed herself at the age of 24.

Months after her death, the YouTuber channel Hover Lab, which has nearly a million subscribers, posted a voice recording in which the actress could be heard saying she had been dating Kim Soo-hyun since she was in middle school.

The police claim that the voice recording was generated by AI.

They also allege that the YouTuber had manipulated screenshots of text messages sent from the actress's phone to make it look like she had been texting Kim Soo-hyun.

Hover Lab is considered a controversial YouTube channel in South Korea, and frequently posts commentary on politics and entertainment. It is also a popular channel for celebrity gossip.

The allegations against Kim Soo-hyun shocked South Korea, where he is the star of multiple hit TV shows and features in advertisements across the country.

The claims made by Kim Se-ui's Hover Lab "collapsed Kim Soo-hyun's social base and his economic activities across the board, and destroyed the basis for his professional survival", according to a police filing reported by news outlet JoongAng Ilbo.

Police also say Kim Soo-hyun is "still receiving psychiatric treatment".

The actor has not made official public appearances since a tearful press conference in March 2025, where he said that he had dated Kim Sae-ron for a year, but only when she was an adult.

"I can't admit to something I didn't do," he said.

That month, he filed criminal complaints and lawsuits against the YouTuber and the actress' family for making false accusations.

Kim Soo-hyun's press conference was mentioned in the statement by the actor's agency on Wednesday.

"At a press conference a year ago, Kim Soo-hyun promised, 'I won't ask you to believe me. I will definitely prove myself'", the statement said.

"The past year has been solely dedicated to keeping that promise."