YouTuber Lee Jin Ho responds to defamation lawsuit filed against him by the late Kim Sae Ron's family

Lee Jin Ho, a former journalist and YouTuber who covered the private life of the late actress Kim Sae Ron, has released a video addressing the lawsuit filed against him by Kim Sae Ron’s bereaved family, expressing his frustration and clarifying his stance.

On March 17, Lee uploaded a video titled "My Statement on the Lawsuit… I Will Reveal the Truth Until the End" on his YouTube channel.

In the video, he stated, “On March 16, Kim Sae Ron’s family announced that they had filed a lawsuit against me. I would like to share my stance on this matter.” While acknowledging, “I fully respect the bereaved family’s position, as they have lost a loved one,” he also asserted, “However, there are too many factual discrepancies, and I want to correct them.”

Lee Jin Ho emphasized, “I have never claimed that Kim Sae Ron and Kim Soo Hyun’s relationship was false. If I had called it a fabrication, I wouldn’t have even needed to cover this topic. The statements made by the family and their legal representative are contradictory.” He further explained that the four videos he had uploaded related to Kim Sae Ron were simply part of his additional reporting on the matter.

The YouTuber also questioned why the family had only taken legal action against him when other media outlets had published similar reports about Kim Sae Ron.

He said, “My stance of feeling sorry toward the family remains unchanged. However, I hope people refrain from using sensational wording, such as ‘confirming the location of the columbarium.’ On February 21, I visited Kim Sae Ron’s burial site out of basic respect. However, a columbarium staff member informed me that the family had relocated her remains, so I had no choice but to contact her father. I simply wanted to pay my final respects.”

Lee Jin Ho denied accusations that he had sought out the location of Kim Sae Ron’s burial for reporting purposes. He said, “There is a misleading narrative being spread, claiming that I ‘called the bereaved family to confirm the location of the columbarium’ or that I ‘called during their mourning period.’ That is false.”

He continued, “Throughout this controversy, I have consistently addressed the suspicions and criticisms raised against me through my videos and community posts. However, my rebuttals have largely been ignored. If only unilateral claims from HOVERLAB (Garo Sero Research Institute) continue to spread, I will have no choice but to take legal action.”

Lee Jin Ho also stated, “I am not withholding evidence because I don’t have any. Unlike HOVERLAB, I simply refuse to encourage ridicule and hatred. Despite facing heavy criticism, I have remained silent out of respect for the deceased.”

Meanwhile, Bu Ji Seok, the representative lawyer from Buyou Law Firm, announced on March 17 that he would be filing a defamation lawsuit against Lee Jin Ho on behalf of Kim Sae Ron’s family.

Lee Jin Ho had been uploading videos related to Kim Sae Ron since 2022, but the bereaved family claims these videos contained false information. In particular, they argue that his characterization of Kim Sae Ron and Kim Soo Hyun’s relationship as a “fabrication” was a blatant falsehood, which serves as the primary basis for their lawsuit.