Kim Se-ui, the head of the Garo Sero Institute, who is accused of spreading false information, including that the cause of the late Kim Sae-ron's death was due to actor Kim Soo-hyun's debt pressure, attends a prior detention hearing (warrant examination) at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu on the 26th. [Yonhap News] 

Kim Se-ui, the head of the Garo Sero Institute, accused of spreading false information that the cause of the late Kim Sae-ron's death was due to actor Kim Soo-hyun's debt pressure, was arrested on the 26th.

On this day, Judge Bu Dong-sik, who specializes in detention warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, held a prior detention hearing for CEO Kim and issued the arrest warrant requested by the prosecution, stating, "There is a risk of evidence tampering and flight."

Although CEO Kim previously argued at the court, "The arrest warrant is a jumble of clear falsehoods," the court sided with the investigative agency, which emphasized the necessity of detention.

CEO Kim is accused of spreading false information that Kim Soo-hyun dated Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor, and that the direct cause of Kim Sae-ron's death was debt repayment pressure from Kim Soo-hyun's side, through YouTube and other channels.

He is also accused of fabricating statements such as "I first had sexual relations with Kim Soo-hyun during the winter break of my second year of middle school" by manipulating Kim Sae-ron's voice using artificial intelligence (AI), thereby damaging Kim Soo-hyun's reputation.

The police believe that CEO Kim acted in this manner, knowing it was false, in an attempt to attract public attention.

CEO Kim has been making these claims since a press conference with Kim Sae-ron's bereaved family in March of last year.

The Gangnam Police Station, which investigated the case for about a year, concluded that CEO Kim had manipulated the audio recording with AI, as claimed by Kim Soo-hyun's side.

Accordingly, an arrest warrant was applied for on the 14th, applying a large number of charges including violations of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, defamation, threats, and attempted coercion.

This was two days after Gangnam Police Station introduced a reform measure on the 12th to replace all five heads of the investigation and criminal departments amid controversy over investigative misconduct.

With CEO Kim in custody, the police plan to confirm the specific details of how he pressured Kim Soo-hyun's side through his YouTube channel and other means.