Actor Kim Soo-hyun's agency Goldmedalist issued a statement Wednesday denying accusations that Kim pressured the late singer and actor Choi Jin-ri, known professionally as Sulli, into shooting explicit scenes in the 2017 movie "Real."

The Goldmedalist statement came after Choi's brother on March 28 said that Choi has been pressured into performing nude by Kim, who was the lead actor in the movie, and director Lee Sa-rang, even though there was a body double available. Lee is Kim's cousin and the cofounder of Goldmedalist.


“When signing the contract, a separate clause specifying the extent of exposure was included,” Goldmedalist said in the statement Wednesday. “The decision to participate in the film was made after Choi and her agency thoroughly reviewed all the details."

“The script provided to the late actor and her agency at the time included intimate scenes, and the character description for Song Yoo-hwa [played by Choi] contained a guideline on the level of exposure," it added. "The script, storyboarding and filming fall under the production team's responsibilities, and we would like to clarify that actor Kim Soo-hyun, who participated in the project as an actor, was not involved in these aspects."

Regarding the body double, the agency said that there was not a body double for Choi but a “stand-in actor.” A stand-in actor is a person who does not act but substitutes for the actor’s positioning and movements during the preparation stage of filming, according to Goldmedalist.

"To protect the actors from standing in front of the camera during [preparations for] scenes involving nudity, stand-in actors were hired through an extra casting agency to assist during filming,” the film’s assistant director Kim Jung-ok said in a statement provided by Goldmedalist.

The agency also denied attempting to contact Choi’s mother, which Choi’s brother claimed on March 30.

“We have never contacted Choi's mother, nor do we have her contact information,” Goldmedalist said.

The accusations come as Kim Soo-hyun and Goldmedalist are embroiled in a scandal surrounding the late actor Kim Sae-ron. Kim Soo-hyun has been accused by Kim Sae-ron's family of dating her when she was a minor, and Goldmedalist have been accused of threatening her over an outstanding debt in the year leading up to her death.

“Bringing up an incident from six years ago now and posting something on social media as if it were a personal experience, despite it never happening, is difficult to accept," Goldmedalist said in the statement in response to Choi's brother on Wednesday.

“Additionally, unverified claims are being recklessly spread, exploiting Kim Soo-hyun’s current situation. We sincerely urge everyone to refrain from further speculation.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]