[Sportschosun Lee Ji-hyun] MBC's "Straight" focused on the allegations surrounding HoverLab's exposé involving actor Kim Soo-hyun, and, based on the police investigation, revealed the reality behind what it called a "fabricated exposé."
The MBC program "Straight," which aired on the 14th, examined in detail the exposé process of Kim Se-ui, the head of the YouTube channel HoverLab, who was recently arrested on charges including defamation, in an episode titled "A Social Weapon: HoverLab's Exposé Business." The broadcast also closely covered the substance of the Kim Sae-ron recording released by HoverLab in May and the actions of the informant behind it.
According to "Straight," the informant first approached Kim Soo-hyun's agency before handing the recording to HoverLab. He demanded money in exchange for providing an audio file that allegedly contained claims that Kim Sae-ron had briefly dated Kim Soo-hyun after becoming an adult, and he also made advertising his own products a condition. By contrast, he is said to have given HoverLab a completely different recording claiming that Kim Sae-ron had dated Kim Soo-hyun since middle school.
In effect, the same deceased person's voice was used to create and spread recordings with contradictory claims. The program said the informant also delivered the audio file to several other outlets, including entertainment-focused YouTubers, and that at least four versions have been confirmed so far.
Ko Sang-rok, the legal representative for Kim Soo-hyun, said on the program, "The very fact that multiple versions of a 'Kim Sae-ron voice recording' exist, each containing mutually incompatible claims, proves it cannot be authentic." He also noted that the timing of the conversation the informant claimed to have had with Kim Sae-ron was before the allegations of an underage relationship surfaced, leading police to conclude that the recording's credibility was significantly undermined.
"Straight" pointed out that HoverLab claimed the recording had been verified by the National Forensic Service, but in reality the NFS only reviewed the materials at police request. Because the original file was never submitted, it concluded that verification was impossible. The program said the manipulated recording and unverified allegations not only damaged the deceased's reputation, but also caused Kim Soo-hyun severe secondary harm.
Meanwhile, Seoul Gangnam Police Station sent Kim Se-ui to prosecutors on the 4th on charges including violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and defamation. He is accused of repeatedly spreading recordings and claims alleging that the late Kim Sae-ron dated actor Kim Soo-hyun from the time she was a minor.
In response, Goldmedalist, Kim Soo-hyun's agency, issued a statement saying, "We deeply thank those who, despite not being direct parties to the case, have waited for the legal process and spoken out in pursuit of the truth."
It added, "We also thank those who directly investigated the case to uncover the facts, as well as everyone who helped ensure the truth could be widely known."
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
