Kim Soo Hyun scores first big win: YouTuber Kim Se Ui's properties seized, Tzuyang case reopened, arrest warrant looms if he skips summons

Indian Express

a day ago

The legal battle between Kim Soo Hyun and YouTuber Kim Se Ui resulted in the first win for the actor. On June 9, the Seoul Central District Court approved a request filed by the Queen of Tears star's agency, Gold Medalist, allowing them to seize two luxury properties owned by Kim Se Ui. The actor had earlier filed a lawsuit worth 12 billion KRW against Garosero's (The YouTube channel) head and late actor Kim Sae Ron's family for accusing him of dating the actor when she was underage, alongside breaching privacy and publicly disclosing private matters while fabricating the facts.
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K-media Money Today reported the court found enough merit in the agency's damage claims to greenlight the seizure, at least at this stage. The seized properties include a 120.27㎡ apartment in Seocho Buksan Blooming and a 208.65㎡ unit in Apgujeong-dong's Hanyang Apartment Complex 4. Since the second property is co-owned with the YouTuber's sister, only his 50% share was allowed to be seized. Gold Medalist is trying to secure at least 4 billion KRW from these properties, 2 billion each, as part of its civil lawsuit. Jonjae Law Firm's attorney Noh Jong Eon stated, 'The court likely found reasonable grounds in the claimed damages. However, since this is a provisional seizure, Kim Se-ui's rebuttal has yet to be reviewed. The final compensation could change after a full hearing.' According to the current market analysis, the Seocho apartment is valued at around 2.5 billion KRW; meanwhile, the second one could be valued at around 8.87 billion KRW. However, both properties reportedly have large mortgage loans, so extracting the exact amount to recover their damages might not be easy for Gold Medalist if the court rules in their favour later.
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Earlier, it was reported that police are preparing paperwork to summon Kim Se Ui, who has been dodging questioning for a while now. The Garo Sero host is now cornered by a double setback. In a completely separate but parallel case, popular YouTuber Tzuyang also filed a lawsuit against Kim Se Ui in February 2025, accusing him of blackmail, coercion, violation of the Anti-Stalking Law, and defamation. The case was reopened after the YouTuber appealed and gave her statement in May 2025. When police tried to summon Kim Se Ui for questioning in both the Tzuyang and Kim Soo Hyun cases, he skipped appearances twice, citing his involvement and business in South Korea's presidential election. Now that the election is over, police are preparing to summon him again. Authorities have also warned that if he continues to ignore summons, they may issue an arrest warrant.
The public dispute between Soo Hyun and Kim Se Ui started back in March, following Kim Sae Ron's tragic death. The YouTuber accused the actor of being in an 'inappropriate relationship' with the deceased. In response, the actor and his agency held a press conference where they denied the allegations, stating that the two only dated after Sae Ron became an adult. Following that, Garo Sero dropped more pictures, video call logs, and even message transcripts, some of which were reconstructed. The actor then filed both criminal and civil cases, and in response, Kim Sae Ron's family filed a countersuit against Kim Soo Hyun, accusing him of violating child welfare laws and making false accusations. The legal investigations are still ongoing.