Seoul: A Seoul court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for a conservative YouTuber on charges of spreading false and fabricated information about actor Kim Soo-hyun. The Seoul Central District Court granted the warrant for Kim Se-ui, operator of YouTube channel Hover Lab, citing concerns over flight risk and destruction of evidence.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the YouTuber is accused of defaming the actor by falsely claiming that Kim Soo-hyun had dated the late actress Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor and that pressure from his side to repay a debt led to her death early last year. Furthermore, the YouTuber allegedly created doctored audio recordings of the late actress using artificial intelligence technology to falsely claim she had sexual relations with the actor when she was in middle school.
Kim Se-ui, prior to attending a court hearing earlier in the day, stated, "I do not acknowledge any of the charges. It is a nonsense warrant that does not even sort out the basic facts." He disputed the basis for the warrant and vowed to file complaints against the police officers and prosecutors involved in filing for it.
Police filed for the warrant on defamation and other charges on May 14, after determining that Kim Se-ui must have been aware the allegations against the actor were false. Hover Lab raised these allegations about Kim Soo-hyun, one of the country's most prominent actors, in March 2025, following the actress's death at her home the previous month, which was ruled an apparent suicide at the age of 24.