Kim Sae-ron’s Mother Responds: “Squandered Hundreds of Billions? Leeches? Our Family Was Dragged into Hell…”

On March 14, Kim Sae-ron‘s mother addressed the issue through the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute. After careful consideration, she felt compelled to speak out against the misrepresentation of her family’s intentions.

She emphasized that numerous false reports had severely damaged her daughter’s reputation, and their primary goal was to restore it. At the same time, they aimed to pursue legal measures to hold malicious YouTubers and cyber tabloids accountable for their actions.

Kim Sae-ron’s mother further stated, “Sae-ron never lied to the media. She never pretended to work part-time for sympathy, nor was she someone who only indulged in nightlife with friends. She was never involved in a dating scandal caused by manipulated photos. However, Lee Jin-ho and cyber tabloids fabricated false reports that dragged a promising young actress and her family into hell.” On top of that, Gold Medalist allegedly portrayed her as a delusional girl posting confusing photos without reason.

Kim Sae-ron’s mother condemned the ongoing spread of misinformation, saying, “Now that Sae-ron is no longer here, fabricated stories are emerging, claims that she was the sole breadwinner of the family, that her family squandered her alleged fortune of hundreds of billions of won, and other baseless rumors that are not even worth acknowledging.” She dismissed these allegations as completely unfounded. She added that the scandal was being amplified based on a few photos recently provided to Garo Sero Institute.

She expressed her family’s deep sorrow, stating, “We, her bereaved family, only wish to fully restore Sae-ron’s honor as an actress and correct the false narratives that have been spread. We hope that this will serve as a catalyst for legal and institutional measures to ensure that the media upholds its responsibilities and prevents such tragedies from recurring.”

Meanwhile, Kim Sae-ron was found deceased at her residence on February 16. She had struggled to return to the entertainment industry after a drunk driving incident in 2022.

Recently, her family claimed through a YouTube channel that Kim Sae-ron had been in a six-year relationship with actor Kim Soo-hyun. They revealed that the relationship began in 2015, when she was a minor, and lasted until 2021. Kim Sae-ron’s family also alleged that Kim Soo-hyun had covered around 700 million won in penalty fees for her. However, he later issued a sudden legal demand for repayment last year. They believe this financial strain added to Sae-ron’s struggles. Ultimately, they claim it led to her passing on Kim Soo-hyun’s birthday, after she had lost all contact with him.

Below is the full statement from Kim Sae-ron’s mother.

Hello, this is the bereaved family of the late actress Kim Sae-ron.

After much deliberation, we have decided to release this statement upon witnessing the distortion and misrepresentation of our family’s intentions.

As we previously conveyed to “Garo Sero Institute,” our primary goal is to restore the honor of our child, whose life was destroyed in an instant by countless false reports. Additionally, we wish to establish a legal precedent to ensure that malicious YouTubers and cyber tabloids who engage in such criminal activities are held accountable.

Sae-ron never lied to the media. She never pretended to work part-time for sympathy, nor was she someone who only indulged in nightlife with friends. She was never involved in a dating scandal caused by manipulated photos.

However, Lee Jin-ho and cyber tabloids fabricated false reports, dragging an ordinary and promising young actress, along with her family, into hell. Furthermore, Gold Medalist labeled her a “delusional girl” who posted confusing photos without reason.

Now that Sae-ron is gone, more outrageous and unfounded claims are surfacing, allegations that she was the sole breadwinner of our family, that we squandered her alleged fortune of hundreds of billions of won, and other absurd rumors that are not even worth acknowledging. What people are witnessing now is the amplification of a scandal based on just a few photos provided to “Garo Sero Institute” over the past few days.

If she had been backed by a powerful agency with high-profile lawyers, they could have taken action to mitigate the damage and control the situation. But at the time, Sae-ron had no one but her family. Every false article became a dagger aimed at my young daughter, who had only just entered adulthood. She endured unspeakable personal attacks and cruel comments alone.

It was Lee Jin-ho and the cyber tabloids who trampled on a fallen child, kicking her while she was down, only to lift her up and throw her back down again. Then there were the media outlets that irresponsibly spread their fabricated narratives without verifying the facts, along with the online commenters who gleefully joined in the harassment. For three years, Sae-ron endured this torment, struggling through sleepless nights, fighting to survive in isolation.

This situation was nothing short of a nationwide public shaming, instigated by false reports from Lee Jin-ho. The media at the time made no effort to verify the truth. They didn’t even try. Instead, they simply spread Lee Jin-ho’s words, mocked and abandoned Sae-ron, and called that journalism. They collected their paychecks while perpetuating her downfall. Even when we, as her family, pleaded for help, asked for the truth to be told, not a single outlet extended a hand.

During our child’s funeral, YouTubers snuck in with hidden cameras, and Lee Jin-ho shamelessly called us in the middle of our mourning. Can such people even be called human? Can you forgive such behavior? If Professor Kwon Young-chan from the Korea Entertainment Suicide Prevention Association had not reached out to us, and if Kim Se-ui from “Garo Sero Institute” had not extended his support, our family would have remained helpless victims of Lee Jin-ho and the cyber tabloids. We would have spent our lives burdened by the false image of Sae-ron that they imprinted in people’s minds.

What Lee Jin-ho and his associates did was a crime. While it may be difficult to hold them accountable for her death, their actions should not be ignored. As the bereaved family, our only wish is to restore Sae-ron’s rightful honor as an actress, correct the false narratives surrounding her, and ensure that the media fulfills its duty responsibly so that such tragedies never happen again. We hope this leads to legal and institutional measures to prevent this frm recurring.