AI Or Not? South Korean National Forensic Service’s Official Conclusion On Late Kim Sae Ron’s Leaked Recordings Unsettles Netizens

This article is part of our coverage of Kim Soo Hyun And Kim Sae Ron's Relationship. You can read more and view the entire timeline here.

The South Korean National Forensic Service (NFS) has reached a conclusion on whether the late actress Kim Sae Ron‘s leaked audio recording was AI-created/manipulated, and the result has left Koreans rather rattled.

According to the police on December 15, 2025 (KST), the Seoul Gangnam Police Station received notice from the NFS stating that it was “unable to make a determination” regarding whether the recordings—revealed during a press conference held on May 7 by the YouTube channel Garo Sero Research Institute and attorney Bu Ji Seok representing Kim Sae Ron’s bereaved family—had been created and/or altered using artificial intelligence.

The recordings, which heavily fueled the scandal, contained claims by Kim Sae Ron that she dated actor Kim Soo Hyun beginning when she was a minor, and that she had her first sexual relationship during her second year of middle school. On the same day, Kim Soo Hyun’s legal representatives refuted the allegations, stating that the recordings were fabricated using AI or similar technology.

Kim Sae Ron Admits To Having Sex With Kim Soo Hyun As A Middle School Student

Money Today noted in its exclusive report that the NFS has examined the recordings at the request of the police. However, its official conclusion is that, due to technical limitations and the fact that the recordings examined are not original files, it could not determine whether the voice and/or the recordings were generated or manipulated using AI.

Park Jeong Bo, the commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police, stated via a press briefing that the investigation is “wrapping up after receiving the forensic results” and that the case will come to a conclusion soon.

We are in the process of wrapping up the investigation after receiving the forensic results. Since the necessary investigations have been completed, I believe a conclusion will be reached soon through analysis of the materials and evidence.

— Park Jeong Bo

Meanwhile, NFS’s “inconclusive” conclusion has raised new concerns for Koreans as it implied that developments in the AI field have far surpassed the systems currently in place to verify authenticity.

• “I’m honestly terrified of AI.”
• “Putting aside whether we like or dislike Kim Soo Hyun, if this ends up being ruled “inconclusive,” then we’re in real trouble. In the age of AI, victims will keep appearing and this could happen to any of us, too.”
• “Technical limitations…???”
• “Detection technology develops relatively slowly, but AI is advancing way too fast, so making a 100% judgment is probably difficult. If science has progressed this far, it also feels unfair to blame the National Forensic Service for not being able to verify it with absolute certainty.”
• “Separate from this specific case, it’s scary that there isn’t even a clear true-or-false conclusion and it’s just deemed inconclusive. It feels like AI-related crimes are only going to increase going forward.”
• “If even the National Forensic Service can’t determine it, then who can? This really seems like something that could be abused.”
• “If this is ruled inconclusive, then AI crimes are going to explode…”
• “Wow…”
• “So people can basically just openly manipulate things with AI now?”
• “That’s why the [Korean] government is making AI content labeling mandatory starting in January. Things are probably going to be chaotic for a while.”
• “I mean, the recordings already sounded strange just listening to them. So the takeaway is that if it’s impossible to tell whether it’s real or fake anyway, then there needs to be forensic proof showing it’s authentic.”
• “If it’s ruled inconclusive, does that mean it can’t even be used as evidence?”

In addition to the recordings, Kim Sae Ron’s side has also released forensic evidence of her KakaoTalk messages with Kim Soo Hyun.

Read more about it here:

Kim Sae Ron’s Side Releases Forensic Evidence That Kim Soo Hyun Dated Her When She Was A Minor