South Korean police sought an arrest warrant for YouTuber Kim Se-ui, alleging he used AI-generated audio and manipulated text-message screenshots to falsely suggest actor Kim Soo-hyun dated the late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. Authorities say the content, posted after Kim Sae-ron’s death at 24, was spread knowingly for financial gain, collapsing the actor’s career and prompting ongoing psychiatric treatment. Kim, a household name in Korea, has denied underage dating but later acknowledged a one-year relationship when the actress was an adult and has filed criminal and civil actions against the YouTuber and members of the actress’s family. The scandal has paused Kim’s projects, including Disney+ series Knock-Off, and reignited debate over AI-driven misinformation, platform accountability and South Korea’s unforgiving celebrity culture. The YouTuber has dismissed the probe as a subterfuge.
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