Kim Soo-hyun not dating Kim Sae-ron after leaked photo, agency says

(From left) Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron. Images: Instagram/@tvn_drama, Instagram/@ron_sae

Kim Soo-hyun’s agency Good Medalist denied the actor is in a relationship with South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron after a leaked photo of them made the rounds of social media.

Rumors about Soo-hyun and Sae-ron started when the actress uploaded on her Instagram Stories on Sunday, March 24, a picture of the two of them with checks touching, before deciding to delete it. Eagle-eyed netizens however, managed to screenshot the image before it was deleted and reuploaded on the internet.

The photo also gave birth to speculations that the two actors were probably having a relationship to be taking a picture of themselves in close proximity with one another, prompting Gold Medalist to state that it would look into the story behind the photo.

(From left) Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun in a now-deleted Instagram story. Image: Instagram/@ron_sae

Hours later, Soo-hyun’s agency then firmly shot down the rumors, saying the photo was “taken in the past” when the actor and Sae-ron were under the same label.

“We are informing you that Kim Soo Hyun’s dating rumors are not currently true,” it said via a Soompi translation. “The photo that has been spread online appears to have been taken in the past when [Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron] were under the same agency.”

Gold Medalist stressed it had no knowledge about the intention of Sae-ron in uploading the photo.

“We are completely unable to understand the motivation behind Kim Sae-ron’s action… Due to the photo in question, unnecessary misunderstandings and groundless speculation about our actor are currently running rampant,” it said.

The agency also vowed legal action against “malicious slander and insulting posts” targeting Soo-hyun.

“We will be taking strong legal action through our legal representative in response to malicious slander and insulting posts that defame our actor’s character or honor. We ask that you refrain from writing rumors or groundless speculation regarding this matter,” said Gold Medalist.

Soo-hyun recently made his return to the K-drama industry with “Queen of Tears” which also stars Kim Ji-won. In a roundtable interview, he said he was initially nervous about working with the actress but they eventually became friends during filming.