Kim Se Ui, the operator of the controversial YouTube channel HoverLab, also known as the Garo Sero Research Institute, has reportedly been placed in an isolation cell at the Seoul Detention Center as he faces multiple criminal charges linked to actor Kim Soo Hyun and the late actress Kim Sae Ron.
According to reports released on June 29, Kim has been in a single detention cell since early June after being transferred from the Gangnam Police Station Detention Facility. His arrest warrant was approved last month by the Seoul Central District Court.
South Korea’s prison system usually places inmates in shared cells. However, solitary confinement may be granted when the authorities believe that additional protection or security is necessary.
Reports say Kim’s lawyers have expressed concerns about possible retaliation while he is detained. Such concerns reportedly increased after another YouTuber, Eun Hyun Jang, made threatening comments during a livestream shortly after Kim’s arrest.
According to Koreaboo, Eun allegedly warned Kim of retaliation and even encouraged prison cell leaders to contact him, promising financial compensation in exchange for “handling” the situation. The comments were widely seen online as direct threats.
Kim Se Ui was also recently charged while in detention. Prosecutors charged him with defamation under South Korea’s Information and Communications Network Act, violating anti-stalking laws and distributing illegally produced images under the Sexual Violence Punishment Law.
Kim Se Ui would use AI audio
Authorities accused Kim of spreading false claims about Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron through live streams and press conferences on YouTube between March and May last year.
Prosecutors said he falsely claimed that Kim Soo Hyun had dated Kim Sae Ron for several years starting when she was still a minor. She also accused the actor of pressuring the actress for debt repayment and claimed that this contributed to her death.
Investigators further said Kim used manipulated materials and even generative artificial intelligence technology to create fake audio recordings that appeared to imitate Kim Sae Ron’s voice, AllKPop reported.
Prosecutors said forensic analyzes and interviews with victims helped confirm that several claims had been distorted or fabricated without adequate fact-checking.
Police reportedly argued during the warrant application that Kim had knowingly spread false information despite understanding that Kim Soo Hyun had never dated the actress while she was a minor and was not responsible for her death.
Kim later challenged the legality of his detention, but the court rejected the request.
The YouTuber is scheduled to appear in court on July 14 for the first hearing in Kim Soo Hyun’s defamation case. He is also expected to go to trial on August 13 on separate charges involving alleged stalking and intimidation of popular Mukbang creator Tzuyang.
