The agency head who stood beside actor Kim Soo-hyun at his press conference has resigned after nine months, a development that drew the most attention on global K-snapp between Nov. 27 and Dec. 3.
On Nov. 28, Gold Medalist told multiple outlets, "To strengthen our management capability, we appointed a new CEO in September with a background in finance."
With that, former CEO Ahn Sung-soo exited Gold Medalist. After his predecessor left around December last year, Ahn joined early this year and led the company for roughly eight months. He attended Kim Soo-hyun's March press conference with legal counsel and personally addressed various allegations surrounding the late Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun's relationship.
The legal fight related to Kim Sae-ron is still ongoing. Kim Soo-hyun's side filed a criminal complaint for defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act against the bereaved family and YouTube channel Garo Sero Research Institute, and also lodged a civil suit seeking approximately 12 billion won in damages. In response, the bereaved family countersued Kim for violating the Child Welfare Act and for false accusation, sending the dispute down parallel criminal and civil tracks.
With the two sides flatly contradicting each other, public interest now centers on how the investigation and court rulings will land. Related updates are also drawing eyes. Earlier, reports that a letter Kim wrote to a girlfriend during his military service had surfaced racked up high views on K-snapp's official Instagram, underscoring the buzz.
The controversy around Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron began in March, when Garo Sero Research Institute alleged that Kim Sae-ron dated Kim Soo-hyun for six years starting at age 15. Kim then held a press conference, acknowledging he had dated the deceased but maintaining it was not a relationship with a minor.