Actor Kim Soo Hyun has claimed that certain parts of his KakaoTalk conversations with the late Kim Sae Ron were altered, but doubts are emerging regarding the credibility of the company that provided the evidence.

Kim Soo Hyun refuted allegations at a press conference in Seoul that he dated Kim Sae Ron when she was underage. The family of the late actress had previously asserted that they started dating in 2015 when she was 15 and he was 27, using messages and notes as evidence. In contrast, Kim stated that their romantic involvement began in 2019 when she was an adult.

To back his statement, Kim presented a linguistic analysis of KakaoTalk messages from 2016, 2018, and 2025 from the forensic speech analysis center Trubaum. According to the report, the messages from 2016 and 2018 were attributed to someone other than Kim. He disputed the accusations and demanded that the family go through legal channels for verification.

However, there has been skepticism from the public. Trubaum, the firm that conducted the analysis, is not a government forensic institution like the National Forensic Service. Despite the CEO, Kim Mi Young, having a PhD in criminal psychology and advising law enforcement agencies, her previous errors have raised concerns about her credibility.

The report from Trubaum mentioned a 92% likelihood that the messages were not authored by Kim in 2016 and 2018, but also noted an 8% margin of error, which critics have highlighted.

In response to the situation, Kim Soo Hyun's legal team has initiated a 120 billion won lawsuit against the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute and Kim Sae Ron's family, escalating the dispute.

Although Kim Soo Hyun stressed the scientific basis of his evidence, the association with a private organization and the uncertainties in the findings have left many unconvinced. As doubts about the messages and the timeline persist, the demand for an official investigation by authorities continues to grow.