Whistleblower attack allegations in Kim Sae-ron scandal declared false by U.S. authorities

On May 19, 2025, Money Today reported that the Korean Consulate General in New York has refuted recent claims about an alleged assault of a Korean whistleblower by Kim Soo-hyun, tied to the late Kim Sae-ron.

They stated no Korean nationals have been held, charged, or linked to any violent cases against fellow citizens abroad within their coverage area.

The clarification comes after unverified stories surfaced online, suggesting that the informant linked to the late Kim Sae-ron’s leaked recordings was attacked and that U.S. authorities were looking into it.

Under global treaty rules, specifically Article 36 of the Vienna Convention, local law enforcement is required to notify the respective country’s mission when a citizen is taken into custody. As of now, no such update has been shared with the Consulate. In a statement obtained by Money Today, the Consulate General explained:

"According to Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, when our national is arrested or detained, local law enforcement agencies are required to notify the relevant country's consulate without delay."

The statement further added:

"We have not received any notification regarding this from local law enforcement agencies as of yet."

In response to speculation that the FBI is handling the case, consular staff said they do not manage or hold any data on U.S. federal investigations.

---

Kim Sae-ron's whistleblower scandal explained

On May 7, 2025, Garosero Research Institute chief Kim Se-eui posted a clip from the individual, known as Mr. A, on YouTube. In the video, Mr. A claimed to have been stabbed by two men in the neck nine times by an unknown assailant in New Jersey on May 1, 2025.

These two men were described as one Korean and the other of mixed Chinese-Korean background. He said he was discharged six days after the alleged incident.

"When I try to film my right shoulder, my hand shakes. I can't take the bandage off my finger by myself due to nerve problems. At first, the bleeding didn't stop at the wound, but now it has," Mr. A stated.

Earlier that day, the YouTube channel's creator had claimed in a press briefing (held by Kim Sae-ron's family) that Mr. A had neck injuries requiring over 20 stitches. However, a medical note released later stated the actual injury was to Mr. A’s right shoulder.

No hospital record mentioned any wounds to the neck or upper arm, raising doubts about the first version of events. Photos of the injury, which Kim displayed at a press conference, were also flagged.

It was confirmed that the images were taken from a stock photo website. Mr. A later explained that his wife sent the wrong pictures by mistake during a miscommunication.

"My white wife created the misunderstanding. There were many wars of nerves between us," he said.

The unidentified person continued:

"At the time of the accident, I couldn't contact my family directly. The conclusion was that I received photos from the hospital saying, 'This is how bad the wound was,' and sent them to writer (Ga Se-yeon) as a voice message."

Mr. A also confessed to sending a fake transcript to Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist. According to him, he felt pressured to send “something,” so he made it up.

Mr. A had earlier claimed that Kim Sae-ron told him she dated Kim Soo-hyun in 2015, when Sae-ron was a minor. He provided a voice recording as proof. That clip, however, was also later revealed to be fake.

---

At a separate press event, former reporter Lee Jin-ho released an expert analysis confirming that Kim Sae-ron’s voice was generated using AI. Mr. A had reportedly added his own voice and background sounds to make it seem real.

Lee said Mr. A also approached him and Kim Soo-hyun’s team, asking for a large amount of money in exchange for the file.