Late Actress Kim Sae‑ron Confirmed as Creditor in Father’s Bankruptcy: Over ₩250 Million KRW Debt Covered?

According to recent reports and court filings, the late actress Kim Sae-ron faced significant financial hardships in her lifetime, including inheriting family debt and managing her own mounting liabilities. She was registered as a creditor in her father’s personal bankruptcy case, where she was owed more than ₩250 million KRW for debts she had covered on his behalf.

Her father, identified only as Mr. A, declared bankruptcy in December 2020 at the Uijeongbu District Court after failing to repay loans to over 20 creditors due to business failures triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bankruptcy was finalized in March 2023, by which time Kim Sae-ron was just 20 years old.

Failed Business Venture and Personal Liabilities

In May 2021, Kim Sae-ron invested in a family-run restaurant opened under a friend’s name. Despite her financial support and efforts to promote the business using her entertainment industry connections, the restaurant ultimately closed in 2024 due to unpaid rent and management fees, resulting in the total loss of the security deposit.

Adding to her financial woes, Kim Sae-ron was involved in a DUI incident in 2022, crashing into a transformer. This incident increased her financial strain with compensation costs and legal fees related to multiple businesses.

During her 2023 DUI trial, Kim Sae-ron’s legal representatives stated that she was the family’s sole breadwinner, struggling with financial hardship to support herself and her family. However, her family later denied these claims, labeling the rumors false and denying allegations of misused wealth.

Over ₩1.2 Billion KRW in Confirmed Debt

Surviving reports, including from Money Today and bnt News, list Kim’s total debts as follows:

• ₩100 million KRW each owed to two idols and one singer friend;
• ₩60 million KRW borrowed from her agency for medical expenses;
• ₩700 million KRW from her former agency, Gold Medalist, representing pre-paid breach-of-contract penalties after her 2022 DUI

Confirmed debt thus totals approximately ₩1.2 billion KRW, though it’s uncertain how those funds were allocated.

Public Perception and Posthumous Sympathy

While Kim Sae-ron was previously criticized for flaunting luxury assets, such as driving a foreign car worth over ₩200 million KRW and living in a ₩2 billion KRW home, it was later revealed these were agency properties. At the time of her death, she was reportedly living in a modest rented multi-family villa, which has shifted public perception and garnered sympathy.

Kim Sae-ron tragically passed away on February 16, 2025, at the age of 25, leaving behind a legacy complicated by financial struggles and family disputes.