Actor Kim Soo-hyun is facing renewed public scrutiny after online users identified matching visual elements between a photo sent by the late Kim Sae-ron in 2018 and her public appearance on the same day, further fueling controversy over allegations of a past underage relationship.

The backlash emerged after Kim Soo-hyun's March 31 press conference, where he firmly denied ever dating Kim Sae-ron while she was a minor. He also presented 11 photographs and challenged the authenticity of KakaoTalk messages disclosed by Kim's family, calling them fabricated or taken out of context.

Despite his claims, a specific selfie sent by Kim Sae-ron on April 13, 2018, has become the focus of fact-checking efforts online. In the message, Kim Sae-ron wrote, "Where are you and what are you doing?" expressing frustration at Kim Soo-hyun's lack of contact during his military leave. "I'm not feeling very good about this," she added.

Netizens quickly noticed that the nail art in the selfie perfectly matched her appearance at a character brand event held the same day. Screenshots from the event show Kim wearing the same outfit and hairstyle as in the selfie sent to Kim Soo-hyun. This alignment has raised further questions about Kim's assertion that the two were not in a relationship at the time.

During the press conference, Kim Soo-hyun said: "I did not date her while she was a minor. They are asking me to admit to something that isn't true." He further claimed that "the KakaoTalk messages disclosed by the bereaved family are fake evidence," adding that he had submitted them for "scientific verification" to a third-party analysis firm.

However, the forensic institute he referenced was later confirmed to be a private entity without legal authority. The credibility of its findings-used to dispute authorship of the messages-has been questioned by observers and critics alike.

Kim's legal team has announced that he is pursuing a ₩120 billion (approximately $90 million) damages claim against multiple parties, including the YouTube channel "Garo Sero Research Institute," Kim Sae-ron's family members, and an unnamed media figure who published private messages and photos.

The family of Kim Sae-ron maintains that the relationship began in 2015, when the actress was 15 and Kim Soo-hyun was 27. They have presented messages allegedly exchanged between the two that include intimate expressions and images from 2016 and 2018.

Kim has maintained that his relationship with Kim Sae-ron began in the summer of 2019 and lasted approximately one year, when she was already legally an adult.

This latest development-matching nail art and styling from the April 13, 2018 selfie with confirmed public photos-has reignited skepticism from the public. Online commentators have circulated side-by-side comparisons of the images, challenging the timeline outlined by Kim Soo-hyun during his public defense.

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