Friends of the late actress Kim Sae-ron are reportedly preparing a formal statement after watching Kim Soo-hyun's recent press conference, where he denied claims of having dated her during her minor years.

On April 1, TV Chosun's Incident File cited the late actress's family attorney, who stated, "We had hoped Kim Soo-hyun would offer a sincere apology, but it's unfortunate that he didn't apologize to the bereaved family at all."

The lawyer added, "There are at least eight friends who were aware that the deceased was in a relationship with Kim Soo-hyun while she was still a minor. After watching Kim Soo-hyun's press conference, these friends were frustrated and are now drafting a joint statement, which may be made public."

Following the press conference, the bereaved family expressed further disappointment, saying, "Even if he had said something along the lines of, 'There were good feelings between us from her minor years, but a proper relationship began after she became an adult,' it would have been better. We don't understand why he's denying everything."

Kim Soo-hyun held an emergency press conference on March 31, during which he strongly denied all allegations, including dating Kim Sae-ron during her underage years and pressuring her with debt repayment demands.

"I did not date the deceased while she was a minor. We dated for one year after she became an adult. And it's also not true that the tragedy happened because I turned away from her or because my agency pressured her to pay off her debt," Kim stated. He went on to defend his earlier denial of the relationship, saying, "At the time, I made that decision as 'star' Kim Soo-hyun," and added, "Even if I face a similar situation in the future, I would make the same decision again."

Some netizens reacted critically to his comments. One commenter wrote, "Calling yourself a 'star' and publicly saying you would make the same choice again even though someone has died is irrational and narcissistic."

Attorney Kim Jong-bok, Kim Soo-hyun's legal representative from LKB & Partners, also announced legal action: "We have filed a defamation complaint under the Information and Communications Network Act against the bereaved family, an unidentified individual claiming to be the actress's aunt, and the operator of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Research Institute (Kim Se-ui). We also filed a damages suit totaling 12 billion KRW with the Seoul Central District Court."

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