Cavalier coverage of Kim Soo-hyun overshadows necessary discussion on protecting youth

Ever since child star-turned-actor Kim Sae-ron’s death by suicide on Feb. 16, Korea — and much of the world — has witnessed a major underage dating scandal unfold in real time.

Once-beloved A-lister Kim Soo-hyun, who faces accusations of dating the late 24-year-old when she was still a minor, was rapidly ensnarled in a media firestorm. In the weeks following the late actor’s suicide, every intimate detail of their past relationship surfaced in a torrent of reporting, with a flurry of allegations and leaks dropping on a daily basis.

As the chaos persists with no signs of slowing, some weary speculators have begun to question if the media continues to take things too far.

The intense coverage of Kim Soo-hyun and his emotional press conference on March 31 has gotten some to reflect on a long list of celebrities who suffered from Korea’s notoriously relentless scrutiny; just how severely is this contributing to a mental health deterioration among entertainers? Or has this scandal merely poured gasoline on already inflamed concerns over the sexual exploitation of minors within society?

Celebrities and accountability
 
It has been a month since the past relationship between the two came under public attention, after right-wing YouTube channel Hoverlab, which positioned itself as a spokesperson for the late actor’s bereaved family, accused the K-drama leading man of dating underaged Kim Sae-ron.

Kim Soo-hyun and his agency adamantly denied such claims, but the public outcry against the alleged underage relationship has persisted — a reflection of a deeper debate over not only Korea’s protection of minors but also the far-reaching influence of high-profile celebrities on society as a whole.

According to data from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family released in April last year, the average age of underage sexual crime victims fell from 14.6 years in 2017 to 13.9 years in 2022. The number of sexual crimes has also been on the rise for the second consecutive year, largely led by offenses in digital spaces, where a significant proportion of victims were minors.

In 2020, in particular, the infamous “Nth room” case sparked nationwide outrage and heightened social awareness of digital sex crimes and the sexual exploitation of minors. In response, the government implemented major regulatory changes, including raising the age of consent from 13 to 16, thereby expanding the number of minors protected under the statutory rape law.

Now, in the wake of the ongoing Kim Soo-hyun scandal, some are urging the age of consent to be raised even further.

A petition to raise the age of consent to 19 with what has been dubbed the Kim Soo-hyun Prevention Act swiftly garnered more than 50,000 signatures, advancing to a parliamentary committee in the National Assembly for review on Tuesday.

Nuance matters

Experts suggest that this may be a necessary conversation to have to a certain extent — but one that must be done responsibly, with nuance.

“Public figures such as celebrities have a huge influence on society,” noted Choi Jin-bong, a professor of journalism and broadcasting at Sungkonghoe University.


“And while I’m not suggesting that they should be considered moral benchmarks, they can play a role in shaping the public’s perception toward certain ethical issues.”

However, the professor noted that the recent wave of media coverage of the scandal, which “purposefully highlights and exaggerates the most sensationalist aspects of a story,” violates the core principles of journalism.

Such coverage is a far cry from safeguarding the public’s right to know, or as an act of serving the public interest, Choi stressed.

As the public was once again swamped with wave after wave of headlines, some demanded the media hold itself to a higher standard.

“While the definition of ‘public interest’ may differ, I do not believe the ongoing reporting [on the Kim Soo-hyun scandal] serves that interest,” said Yoo Hyun-jae, a journalism professor at Sogang University.

“It appears that YouTubers are leading the narrative, and mainstream outlets are just echoing their claims without sufficient verification,” Yoo suggested, criticizing media outlets for “cherry-picking more sensational aspects to capitalize on the issue.”

Punishing scrutiny

Korea’s tabloid culture is no stranger to criticism, often accused of enforcing unrealistically high ethical standards for celebrities and toxicity to the point of pushing them toward self-harm.

Such punishing public scrutiny, which often extends into cyberbullying, led to online operators deactivating comment sections in entertainment articles on their news curation services in 2020. The National Assembly also pushed for a law requiring online posters to use their real names and instituting harsher penalties for abusive comments. The proposed legal revisions ultimately failed to gain traction in parliament.

Recently, BTS member Suga came under intense media attention after he was found driving an e-scooter under the influence last year, which a French weekly magazine Paris Match described as excessive, especially with a series of misinformation circulated by mainstream outlets.

Kim Sae-ron was also subject to excessive media attention following a high-profile drunk-driving scandal in 2022 that brought her career to a screeching halt.

The incident was followed by a wave of news coverage, as well as rumors and malicious speculations, many originating from so-called cyberwrecker YouTubers and further amplified by media outlets. A major broadcaster released CCTV footage of the crash almost immediately after the news broke out, triggering a surge of critical coverage against the actor that even prompted her to express fear about the intense coverage.

“There have been too many news articles written about things that are not true, I can’t explain them,” Kim told reporters on April 5, 2023, on her way out of court for the DUI case. “I’m scared.”

“Is the media truly unaware of how many celebrities have been victimized by sensationalist reporting that does not serve the public interest?” said the Citizens’ Coalition for Democratic Media, a civic organization, in a strongly worded statement released on Feb. 18, two days after Kim Sae-ron’s death. “Sensationalized journalism justified with a pretense of ‘the public’s right to know’ is nothing short of bullying.”

Eyes on Kim Soo-hyun

Precedents have caused some to pause and ask: Is this raging attention surrounding Kim Soo-hyun truly warranted?

“Just as the public once was quick to demonize HYBE after Min Hee-jin’s claims, and the late actor Lee Sun-kyun over his drug use allegations, this cycle appears to be repeating itself, producing more victims,” said cultural critic Ha Jae-geun, referencing the apparent death by suicide of the prolific actor on Dec. 27, 2023.

The late “Parasite” (2019) actor was found dead while he was subject to a police investigation into drug use. Lee’s former colleagues and entertainment industry leaders, including Bong Joon-ho, blamed both law enforcement and the press, condemning sensationalist coverage by news media as “abuses of yellow journalism.”

Ha previously defended Kim Soo-hyun and his agency in his Dailian column on April 5, calling for a more neutral stance on the issue.

“It is impossible, at this point, to definitively judge whether this was ethical or not,” he added. “We still don’t know the full truth — not even whether this in fact was an underage relationship,” he said, pointing out that there are too many unanswered questions to determine the credibility of claims made by Hoverlab.

Choi of Sungkonghoe University stressed that coverage of stories involving high-profile figures and scandals must remain fact-based and straightforward, while maintaining a neutral and impartial tone.

“While exposing facts about public figures that raise legitimate ethical concerns should not be considered problematic, selectively amplifying only the most sensational aspects or twisting the narrative into something only sensational is indeed a problem,” said the professor.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]