Kim Sae-ron's family blames YouTuber for her death, demands apology from Kim Soo-hyun for 'false claims and silences'

The family of the late actress Kim Sae-ron has formally filed a legal complaint against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho, citing defamation and the spread of false information as factors contributing to her death.

Press conference and legal action

On March 17, a press conference was held at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, attended by Bu Ji-seok, the legal representative of Kim Sae Ron’s bereaved family, Kwon Young-chan, director of the Korea Celebrity Suicide Prevention Association, and Kim Se Eui, head of HoverLab Inc.

During the conference, Kim Se-eui firmly stated, “This marks the beginning of our legal battle, and we will continue to take action moving forward.” He also reiterated the demand for actor Kim Soo-hyun to issue a sincere public apology regarding the situation.

Family’s  statement

The family expressed deep sorrow and frustration in their official statement, highlighting their belief that Lee Jin-ho’s actions directly contributed to Kim Sae-ron’s distress. Although defamation does not legally constitute murder, they emphasised the need for the harshest punishment possible due to the impact of the false information spread by the YouTuber.

According to the statement, Kim Sae-ron posted a past photo with Kim Soo -hyun  on March 24, 2024, after receiving a legal notice from his agency demanding repayment of debts. The family explained that she had hoped Soo-hyun was not personally involved and attempted to contact him, but after receiving no response, she briefly uploaded the photo in an effort to prompt communication.

However, Lee Jin-ho allegedly denied their past relationship and spread misleading information that negatively affected Sae-ron’s reputation, portraying her as unstable. The family claims this led to severe emotional distress, ultimately driving her to the decision.

Allegations against Lee Jin-ho

The bereaved family has also accused Jin-ho of deleting past videos following Kim Sae-ron’s passing, calling it an act of evidence destruction. They urged law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including a search and seizure, and to consider an arrest.

A plea to Kim Soo-hyun

Initially, the family hoped Soo-hyun would acknowledge his past relationship with Sae-ron to counter the false claims made by Lee Jin Ho. However, they expressed disappointment in his continued denials and called for him to issue a sincere apology.

The family also addressed the legal notices sent by Soo-hyun’s agency, stating that Kim Sae Ron had pleaded for help but received no response. Instead, she received a second notice reiterating demands for debt repayment and warning against further contact with the actor or his agency.

The family emphasised the psychological toll these legal actions had on Sae-ron, questioning why Soo-hyun’s representatives are now publicly stating they are open to communication with the bereaved family. They are currently exploring potential legal action against the actor and his agency.

Read the statement here:

On March 24, 2024, the deceased uploaded a photo of her with her ex Kim Soo Hyun. This was because she had received a certification of contents demanding repayment of debts from Kim Soo Hyun’s agency. Hoping that Kim Soo Hyun might not be involved in this matter, she attempted to contact him, but when there was no response, she briefly uploaded the photo, thinking it might prompt him to reach out. However, YouTuber Lee Jin Ho, for reasons unknown, not only denied the past romantic relationship between the deceased and Kim Soo Hyun but also spread false information that portrayed the deceased in a negative light, making her appear as an unusual or problematic person. This caused the deceased to suffer extreme mental anguish, ultimately driving her to make an irreversible decision.

In light of this, the bereaved family asks for understanding regarding the necessity of revealing the deceased’s past relationship with Kim Soo Hyun in order to prove the falsehoods spread by YouTuber Lee Jin Ho. This also necessitated the disclosure of photos from their past relationship.

Regarding the investigation, YouTuber Lee Jin Ho has been deleting past videos since the deceased’s passing. This is a clear act of evidence destruction, and we urge the authorities to conduct a search and seizure as well as an arrest investigation.

Next, we would like to address matters related to Kim Soo Hyun.

Initially, the bereaved family hoped that Kim Soo Hyun would acknowledge his past relationship with the deceased to disprove the false claims made by YouTuber Lee Jin Ho. However, Kim Soo Hyun’s repeated false statements have caused further distress to the bereaved family. We sincerely hope that even now, he will offer a heartfelt apology.

After Kim Soo Hyun’s agency sent the first certification of contents, the deceased sent a text message to Kim Soo Hyun pleading for help. However, Kim Soo Hyun did not respond even once. Instead, through his agency, he sent a second certification of contents to the deceased. To briefly explain the contents of the second certification of contents, contrary to the recent statements made by Kim Soo Hyun’s side, it mentioned that the certification of contents was sent due to acts of embezzlement and other issues. However, in essence, it demanded that the deceased repay her debts within a given period. Additionally, it included instructions not to contact Kim Soo Hyun or other actors from his agency directly and threatened legal action regarding the photo she uploaded.

Even after the second certification of contents, there was not a single instance of contact from Kim Soo Hyun nor was there any communication with other actors from his agency.

Ongoing controversy surrounding Soo-hyun

Soo-hyun remains embroiled in controversy following allegations that he had a past romantic relationship with Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor and that he pressured her to repay a 700 million won (approximately $481,200) penalty. His agency has firmly denied these claims. Meanwhile, the actor has been dropped by top brands, including Prada, and other industry members have distanced themselves from him, incluing Seol In-nah, who worked in the same agency as GoldMedalist. She has reportedly unfollowed everyone from the agency, while Soo-hyun’s footage in G-Dragon’s show Good Day is going to be edited out.