Hours after Kim Soo Hyun’s agency, Gold Medalist, released a statement denying the production company’s role in pressuring the late actor Sulli to perform an explicit scene in the 2017 movie Real, Sulli’s brother, Choi Da Hee, shared a cryptic social media post mentioning several industry figures. He listed Real’s director Lee Sa-rang (Lee Ro-be), actor Kim Soo Hyun, YouTuber Lee Jin Ho, and Kim Sae Ron’s manager. He also named former director Lee Jung Sub, who was replaced during the film’s production, according to KBI Zoom.
Also read: Sulli was ‘fully aware’ of her explicit scene in Real, says Kim Soo Hyun’s agency; denies body double claims: Full statement
Names Dropped: Kim Soo Hyun, IU, Goo Hara, Suzy & more
The post also included names like IU, Kim Sun Ah, Sulli, Han Ji Eun, Suzy, Ahn So Hee, the late actor Goo Hara, and Kim Sae Ron. Alongside these names, he added phrases like “Gold Medalist” (Kim Soo-hyun’s agency) and “Real”, hinting at hidden connections between these individuals and the controversial film. Earlier, Choi alleged that Sulli was in a relationship with Block B’s P.O, and shared personal details that had not been publicly confirmed before.
IU, the Korean soloist and K-drama star who recently delivered one of Netflix’s biggest hits, When Life Gives You Tangerines, has found herself caught in the crossfire of the Kim Sae Ron and Kim Soo Hyun controversy, largely due to her decade-long friendship with Soo Hyun. Having first worked together in the 2011 drama Dream High, the two have maintained a close professional and personal bond over the years (With Soo Hyun even attending her latest 2024 concert). As the scandal gained traction, many questioned IU’s silence. The speculation only grew when Sulli’s brother dragged her name into the Real movie controversy. While he had previously praised IU for supporting Sulli emotionally and artistically, he later edited his post to claim: “IU was close with Kim Soo Hyun. After rejecting the original female lead role in Real, she handed the script over to Sulli.”
Also read: Kim Soo Hyun’s Instagram sees surprising boost after ‘tearful’ press conference; agency in financial ruin: Report
He further stated, “There was a body double on set during Real. The shoot followed the storyboard, but after the film was released, people said, ‘If we knew it would be edited this way, wouldn’t it have been better to use a double?’ At the time, Sulli was in a physically and mentally difficult state.”
Allegations against Kim Soo Hyun & director Lee Sa Rang
This isn’t the first time Choi has accused the Queen of Tears star and his cousin, Real’s director Lee Sa Rng, of pressuring her later sister Sulli into filming explicit scenes. He has claimed that the film’s production impacted her mental health, which he believes contributed to her tragic passing in 2019. It is widely believed that the actor faced intense cyberbullying, online trolling, and mental harassment before her death. Even during the Real controversy, she received a lot of flak while the whole team remained silent.
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Choi’s family previously revealed that during Sulli’s funeral, they “were told there was originally a body double for the bed scenes, but despite this, Sulli was persuaded to film them herself.” He added, “We heard the intimate scenes between Sulli and Kim Soo Hyun were not scripted in such detail at first. If a body double was available, why was Sulli pressured into filming those scenes herself?”
