South Korean star Kim Soo-Hyun admits dating late Kim Sae-ron

South Korean star Kim Soohyun has publicly denied allegations made against him by the family of the late actress Kim Saeron who died by suicide in February this year Soohyun held a press conference where he shared his side of the story in a tearful statementAt the press conference in Seoul on Monday Kim Soohyun stated I cant admit to something I didnt doThere are two allegations against the 37yearold that surfaced after Kim Saerons passing The first claim is that Soohyun dated Saeron when she was 15 a minor The second is that his agency forced her to repay a loan she owed himKim Soohyun one of the most notable figures in the South Korean entertainment industry has found himself at the center of a scandal that has sent shockwaves through the industry and among fansKim Soohyun admits to dating Kim SaeronKim Soohyun began the press conference by apologizing He said ldquoFirstly I am sorry Because of me I think so many people are suffering And also I feel sorry that the late actor Kim Saeron isnrsquot able to rest in peace I consider myself a coward I have always been too preoccupied with holding on to what I have I couldnrsquot even trust the goodwill that came my way always fearing loss harm and running awaymdashdenying everything Thatrsquos why it took me so long to stand here todayrdquoKim Soohyun was in tears as he addressed the allegations made by Kim Saerons family He admitted that they dated for a year but insisted that their relationship only began when she was an adultI was in the same situation when Kim Saeron posted a picture of her and me when Queen of Tears was airing I was with her for about a year around four years before the drama aired But at that time I denied our relationship I fully understand that criticizing my choice is justifiedrdquoExplaining why he kept their relationship a secret he said When Queen of Tears was airing I had so much to protect as its lead actor What would have happened if I had admitted to a yearlong relationship What would happen to the actors the staff who were working overnight and the production team who had everything staked on that project What would happen to our agencyrsquos employeesrdquo He added ldquoIrsquom willing to receive any criticism that says I am selfish and cowardlyrdquoKim Soohyun denies responsibility for Kim Saeronrsquos deathKim Soohyun vehemently denied allegations of dating Kim Saeron when she was a minorI couldnrsquot accept being coerced into taking whatrsquos fake as the truth I never dated Kim Saeron when she was a minor Except for the fact that both of us were actors our relationship was just like any other ordinary couple And it is not true that she made this tragic choice because of me or my agency pressuring her over a debtrdquoHe also clarified that they were not in contact after their breakup We dated with good feelings and after some time we broke up After that we werenrsquot able to contact each other like we used to Just like any other couple contacting a lover after breaking up is a very cautious thingrdquo He added ldquoI also couldnrsquot contact her easily when she had the DUI Driving Under the Influence incidentrdquoKim Soohyun further stated that Kim Saeron was in another relationship when the DUI incident occurred ldquoFrom YouTube I heard that the former CEO of the agency was having a hard time because of me when the drunk driving incident happened But I was aware that the late actor was in a relationship with someone else So I was very careful about contacting herrdquo he saidKim Soohyun denies sending Flirtatious textsKim Saerons family also alleged that Soohyun had sent flirtatious texts to her in 2016 Responding to the claim he denied the messages were from himThey are framing me as a pedophile accusing me of grooming based on KakaoTalk chats we had in 2016 The person in the conversation with the late actor is different from the one in the KakaoTalk chats from 2016 and 2018 In order to prove this I have requested an analysis of the KakaoTalk chats revealed by the late actorrsquos family in 2016 2018 and this year The agency has shown that the chats from 2016 and 2018 were sent by different people There is evidence that photos videos and KakaoTalk chats were manipulatedrdquoKim Soohyun also dismissed the familys allegations that his agency forced Kim Saeron to repay debts ldquoThese fake testimonials and evidence are piling up just because we datedrdquo