Late Actress Kim Sae Ron’s Mother Breaks Silence Following Actor Kim Soo Hyun’s Statement
This article is part of our coverage of Kim Soo Hyun And Kim Sae Ron's Relationship. You can read more and view the entire timeline here.
After actor Kim Soo Hyun claimed in an official statement from his agency, GOLD MEDALIST, that he and actress Kim Sae Ron dated only after she reached adulthood…
…the late actress’s mother has since broken her silence and released a long statement via the Garosero Research Institute YouTube channel. Reporter-turned-YouTuber Kim Se Ui (Kim Say) of the said channel noted, “Kim Sae Ron’s mother sent us a lengthy statement, but since she did not want her voice to be aired, the channel has opted to use an AI voice.”
In the statement, Kim Sae Ron’s mother grieved for her daughter’s long and lonely fight—especially after she uploaded a photo of her and Kim Soo Hyun, now revealed to have been an attempt to spark a response from the actor who cut off all contact with her.
“Hello. This is the bereaved family of the late actress Kim Sae Ron. After much deliberation, I have decided to release this statement upon witnessing how my family’s intentions have been distorted and misrepresented. As I previously conveyed to Garosero Research Institute, my sole purpose is to restore the honor of my baby girl whose reputation was destroyed in an instant by numerous false reports. My aim is to lay the groundwork for legally condemning the criminal activities of malicious cyber wrecker YouTubers, which has occurred and continue to occur and persist if left unchecked.
Sae Ron never lied to the media. She never ‘indulged in gambling instead of self-reflecting,’ or ‘pretended to be working part-time for the public’s sympathy.’ She was not someone who only into partying with friends. Nor did she stir up dating rumors about herself with fabricated photos. However, Lee Jin Ho and cyber wrecker YouTubers manufactured false reports that dragged a promising actress, but more so just a young girl, and her family into absolute despair. Furthermore, GOLD MEDALIST, her former agency, falsely portrayed Sae Ron as a thoughtless liar when it claimed that they ‘do not know’ Sae Ron’s intentions for uploading her photo.
Now that Sae Ron is no longer with us, even more outrageous false reports have emerged—claims that she was the sole breadwinner of her family, that the rest of us squandered the hundreds of millions she earned, and many other baseless stories too appalling to acknowledge.”
— Kim Sae Ron’s Mother
The mother condemned the actor, GOLD MEDALIST, YouTuber Lee Jin Ho, along with other “cyber wrecker” YouTubers, and the press for “kicking [Kim Sae Ron] when she was down.”
“Over the past few days, you have all actively witnessed how a few photos provided to Garosero Research Institute have led to the sensationalization and reproduction of false narratives. Had Sae Ron had a powerful agency behind her, too… If she had been backed by a management with prominent lawyers, perhaps they would have taken better control of the situation. But back then, Sae Ron had no one but her family. Every false report aimed at my daughter pierced her like sharp arrows. She had just turned 20. All alone, she endured the unimaginable, misogynistic personal attacks in the hateful comments left to her.
It was Lee Jin Ho and the cyber wreckers who trampled on her, kicked her while she was down, and then picked her up only to throw her back into the abyss. Alongside them were the irresponsible media outlets that mindlessly published articles and the malicious commenters who believed those articles. Sae Ron endured this torment alone for three long years, unable to sleep, fighting in solitude. It was the false reports, instigated by Lee Jin Ho, that left Sae Ron ostracized nationwide.
Not a single media outlet bothered to verify the truth. They made no effort to fact-check. Instead, they blindly spread Lee Jin Ho’s words, tearing down a promising actress for the sake of their own salaries, believing they were just doing their job as reporters. When we, as the bereaved family, pleaded for help—expressing the injustice of the situation and asking for fair coverage—no media outlet extended a helping hand.
Even as I was grieving the loss of my child, YouTubers hid cameras in their bodies and snuck into the funeral home, while Lee Jin Ho shamelessly called us during the mourning period. Can such people even be called human? Can you forgive them? If Professor Kwon Young Chan from the Korean Association for the Prevention of Celebrity Suicides had not reached out to us… and if Kim Se Ui (Kim Say) from Garosero had not extended a hand, my family would have been forever trapped as the helpless victims of Lee Jin Ho and the cyber wreckers, living with the unresolved pain of Sae Ron’s tarnished honor.”
— Kim Sae Ron’s Mother
Her statement urged for actual change, with the bereaved hoping for real laws that would prevent something like this from happening again.
What Lee Jin Ho and his fellow YouTubers have done are criminal. However, under outdated legal frameworks, it is going to be difficult for me to hold them accountable for murder. As Sae Ron’s mother, I seek to fully restore the honor of my beloved daughter, who was recognized for her talent as an actress. Moreover, I can only hope that this tragedy serves as a catalyst for legal and institutional reforms, ensuring that the media upholds its responsibility and integrity so that such injustices never happen again.
— Kim Sae Ron’s Mother
The bereaved’s statement came after YouTuber Lee Jin Ho fiercely defended himself in an apologetic video. Read more about it here:
