YouTuber Lee Jin-ho Claims Late Actress Kim Sae-ron Nearly Lost Security Deposit During Funeral
YouTuber Lee Jin-ho, who is currently entangled in a legal battle with the family of the late actress Kim Sae-ron, has made new allegations related to her financial struggles.
On April 18, through his YouTube channel, he claimed that a high-ranking official at an educational company paid Kim Sae-ron’s villa security deposit of around 50 million KRW (approx. 37,000 USD) on her behalf.
Lee Jin-ho asserted that starting in 2023, Kim Sae-ron was suffering from severe financial hardship and had been borrowing money from acquaintances. The educational company executive reportedly stepped in to help due to their personal connection.
However, Lee Jin-ho went on to allege that after Kim Sae-ron’s death in February this year, an unidentified individual referred to only as “Mr. A” visited a real estate agency during the funeral and attempted to claim the security deposit, trying to pocket the funds illegally. Lee Jin-ho did not reveal the identity of Mr. A.
Kim Sae-ron’s family had previously filed a defamation complaint against Lee Jin-ho on March 17, accusing him of spreading false information. Lee Jin-ho had previously accused Kim Sae-ron of faking a relationship with actor Kim Soo-hyun by posting misleading photos on social media to suggest they were dating. The family has denied the claims and insisted they constitute falsehoods.
On March 27, the family filed an additional complaint against Lee Jin-ho, this time for violating the anti-stalking law, citing repeated intrusions into Kim Sae-ron’s and the family’s private life. The police, responding to the family’s request, sought a court order to restrict Lee Jin-ho’s access to them. The court granted a temporary restraining order against Lee Jin-ho.
In response, Lee Jin-ho countered, “My reporting on Kim Sae-ron is not based on falsehoods, and the restraining order has no bearing on whether I can continue broadcasting.” He emphasized that he intends to continue sharing information.
