YouTuber Claims Late Kim Sae Ron Was Abused By Husband — Netizens Slam “Disrespectful” Deflection From Kim Soo Hyun Controversy
Controversial YouTuber and former reporter Lee Jin Ho has found himself in hot water once again, facing intense backlash after releasing more allegations regarding late actress Kim Sae Ron — this time involving claims of domestic abuse, financial struggles, and shocking medical expenses.
On March 21, Lee uploaded a video titled “Why Late Kim Sae Ron Had to Bear Hospital Bills Alone” on his channel ‘Entertainment President Lee Jin Ho’. He played an audio clip of Kim Se Ui, CEO of Garosero Research Institute, saying, “They say a manager paid ₩20 million for her hospital bills? That doesn’t make sense. Show us the evidence.” Lee responded by claiming that despite boasting “thousands of photos,” Kim Se Ui had failed to provide any solid proof, and is now facing a sexual crime lawsuit from actor Kim Soo Hyun. “If this charge is acknowledged, civil damages could exceed ₩10 billion,” Lee added.
He further accused Kim Se Ui’s platform of making false claims about Kim Sae Ron’s condition before her passing, “They said her family was with her 24/7, but in reality, she was in the U.S. with her husband at the time. No one has rebutted that yet.”
Lee Jin Ho also elaborated on Kim Sae Ron’s medical debt, revealing she was hospitalized multiple times after alleged suicide attempts. “Each visit cost about ₩5.4M to ₩5.8M, totaling around ₩16.5M. None of it was covered by her family — it all became her personal debt,” he claimed. He added that her agency at the time arranged regular checkups that cost ₩6M–₩7M over 8–9 months, all of which were also left as debt.
He continued: “Her agency covered around ₩50M–₩60M overall. Though her contract ended in December last year, the company forgave the remaining ₩19M loan, for the sake of Kim Sae Ron and her manager’s future.”
Amid rising criticism, Lee declared, “I’m confident because I have solid research and evidence. Claims that I edited recordings maliciously are false — I only cut out breathing sounds for clarity. If the recordings are proven fake, I’ll delete my channel. If not, delete the Garosero channel instead.”
Still, netizens aren’t buying it. Comments under the video were filled with scathing criticism:
“Stop disrespecting the dead.”
“This has nothing to do with the underage dating accusations — stop distracting us.”
“How long will you keep tormenting someone who’s already passed away?”
“Didn’t the whistleblower say they never gave you any recording? Where did you get it then?”
Many accused Lee of trying to “deflect the heat” from Kim Soo Hyun’s alleged past relationship with Kim Sae Ron, who was reportedly 15 when they started dating — a claim revealed by Kim Sae Ron’s family through Garosero. They had also released photos allegedly taken during their relationship and said Kim Sae Ron was pressured to repay ₩700M in damages after her DUI.
In response, Kim Soo Hyun’s agency stated that the relationship began in the summer of 2019, after Kim Sae-ron had become a legal adult. As for the ₩700M debt, the agency explained, “If we had covered her penalties unilaterally, it would constitute breach of duty by the company’s executives. We were legally obligated to secure a formal claim.”
Kim Sae Ron’s family filed a complaint against Lee Jin Ho with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency for defamation based on false information on March 17, and the case was assigned to the Seodaemun Police Station on March 18.
Lee Jin Ho countered, claiming the main figure behind the false information about him is “the woman claiming to be Kim Sae Ron’s aunt.” He said, “She initially said she was Kim Sae Ron’s biological aunt, but turned out to just be a friend of Kim Sae Ron’s mother. This needs to be exposed.”
Despite Lee’s continued uploads, public sentiment remains ice-cold.