In his statement, Soo Hyun apologised to everyone who has been affected by the scandal, and stated that he chose to "protect Kim Soo Hyun the star over Kim Soo Hyun the person". "The truth is, the deceased and I dated for about a year, five years ago, four years before Queen of Tears aired. But at the time, I denied our relationship," he admitted.

A photo allegedly showing South Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun spending the night at then-15-year-old actress Kim Sae Ron’s home has reignited controversy over claims of an underage relationship between the two stars.

Actor Kim Soo-hyun on Monday refuted allegations that he had dated the late actor Kim Sae-ron when she was underage, reiterating his previous statement that their relationship began after she became an adult.