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Last March saw the outbreak of what was to become known as the "affaire Kim Soo-hyun" . Following the death of actress Kim Sae-ron, her family, supported by youtubers such as Kim Se-ui's Garo Sero channel, launched serious accusations against the actor, claiming that he had a 6-year relationship with her, part of which took place when she was underage. That was all it took for the media and networks to go wild. Immediate result: release of his next k-drama Knock Off on Disney+ postponed without a new date, prestigious contracts like the one with Prada terminated.
All this without the slightest formal proof or respect for the presumption of innocence. Once the rumor was out in the open, the Internet decided: for many, Kim Soo-hyun was guilty even before the law got involved.
An army of fans in investigation mode
But not everyone abandoned him. From day one, a veritable army of fans (the word is not too strong) mobilized to defend the man they considered the victim of a defamatory plot. After the shock, international fanbases got organized. Objective: to dismantle the accusations point by point, check the "evidence" and cross-reference dates and places.
France, Brazil, India, Greece, United States, Nigeria, China... No time zone or language barrier has held them back. Some go back through Instagram archives, scrutinizing the clothes worn on snapshots, comparing smartphone models to date photos, translating Korean videos to make them accessible to all. Others roll big-screen trucks around Seoul, displaying messages of support for the actor and sending flowers to his agency.
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The truth at the end of fact-checking
For days, long before Kim Soo-hyun and his Gold Medalist agency even filed a complaint, these volunteer detectives multiplied their checks. And they didn't do things by halves Some false evidence, such as that generated by AI (or taken from photo banks...), was revealed and then passed on to the actor's agency, which revealed that it had used it to prepare its defense.
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Better still, a collective called the "Global Fan Union" has counted hundreds of defamatory comments and filed 2 complaints in South Korea. Some of those targeted have already been identified and summoned by the police. Several have publicly apologized.
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A relentless cultural cancel... and a lesson to be learned
What this case highlights is the violence of cancel culture in South Korea. A hint, a post, and the machine goes into overdrive. Contracts, image, career: everything can collapse in a matter of hours, without fact-checking, without waiting for the person concerned to speak. But this time, the unwavering support of his fans weighed in.
Thanks to them, and to Kim Soo-hyun's public explanations, the truth is emerging: no, he wasn't dating the actress when she was underage. Everything points to 2019 A Nike T-shirt, an iPhone, a stroll around Paris. Nothing fits with the scenario put forward by Garo Sero.
What's next?
On July 4, fans remain mobilized. When will justice finally confirm their star's innocence? Kim Soo-hyun's manager posted a simple "Thank you. Thank you..." on Instagram today, rekindling their hope. Perhaps the truth is on the way. But one thing's for sure: in the future, you'd better think twice before underestimating the quiet, formidable force of fanbases.
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