The family of the late actress Kim Sae Ron has issued a strong rebuttal to claims made by a man identifying himself as her former boyfriend, following public accusations that her death stemmed from family neglect and abuse by an alleged husband-not from involvement with actor Kim Soo Hyun. The dispute has triggered a firestorm online and renewed scrutiny into the circumstances surrounding the young actress's passing.
Kwon Young Chan, head of the Korea Celebrity Suicide Prevention Association and a liaison to Kim's family, challenged the credibility of the man, referred to as "A," who alleged that Kim's family failed her and that her suffering was not linked to the controversies involving Kim Soo Hyun. "A is speaking as if Kim Sae Ron was completely dependent on him and confided everything to him. But they only dated for one month. It's unreasonable to think that Kim would have shared such intimate details with someone she had only been with for a month," Kwon said in an interview with CBS No Cut News.
Kwon added that the ex-boyfriend's attempt to redirect public blame from Kim Soo Hyun to Kim's family raised serious doubts about his intentions. "Furthermore, A's attempt to deflect blame from Kim Soo Hyun and shift it toward Kim's family raises questions about his credibility."
Kwon detailed the actress's long history of mental health struggles, noting that her parents had been actively involved during previous crises. "Kim Sae Ron attempted to take her life about 20 times. Her parents took her to the hospital 18 times," Kwon said. On the day of a widely circulated incident involving emergency surgery, he explained, "Kim had not contacted her mother. As a result, her manager, B, accompanied her instead."
Kim's mother, who works as a designated driver and reportedly sleeps during the day, was unaware of the situation until later. Kwon added that when the agency CEO learned of the hospitalization, "they scolded B for not informing the family about the situation."
Kwon also addressed questions surrounding a 540,000 KRW (approximately $400) hospital payment, which included a 500,000 KRW (about $341) charge listed under "hospitalization" and "intermediate care," but with no itemized breakdown. "It looks suspiciously like a 'credit card laundering' scheme, where payments are disguised as purchases to obtain cash illegally," Kwon said.
"All payments were made with the agency CEO's card. But when the family recently contacted the hospital, they were told that part of the 500,000 KRW payment had been made using Kim's mother's credit card. The hospital said the remaining funds were collected by the payer. This situation is highly unusual - it's not like a hotel deposit," he said.
Kwon pointed out that emergency care for suicide attempts at non-insured clinics typically costs between 200,000 KRW and 400,000 KRW. The inflated fee, along with vague documentation, has prompted further questions about the handling of Kim's treatment.
Manager B, who has been central to the controversy, reportedly severed contact with Kim's family after an audio recording surfaced online. The audio, released by YouTuber Lee Jin Ho, was presumed to feature a conversation between Kim and B. Kwon stated, "We tried to contact B to clarify the 540,000 KRW payment, but he's unreachable."
B was responsible for overseeing Kim's daily activities and meals. "Every time Kim attempted to make a comeback, private information would leak, leading to negative public opinion due to Lee Jin Ho's videos," Kwon added. "It's hard not to suspect that B was leaking this information."
On B's alleged disconnect from Kim Soo Hyun, Kwon stated: "B previously worked as a manager for actress Han Ga In during 'The Moon Embracing the Sun,' where Kim Soo Hyun was the male lead. Managers of top actors are usually closely connected, so it's unlikely that B and Kim Soo Hyun's team were completely unconnected."
Amid growing online anger over the ex-boyfriend's remarks, many users criticized the airing of intimate claims about the deceased actress. Comments ranged from calls to reveal the accuser's identity to denouncements of those using Kim's death to shift blame or tarnish reputations.
One user wrote, "A one-month boyfriend...? Reveal his name. Who is he? This is absolutely ridiculous." Another posted, "The deceased can't even speak for themselves... this is just sad." Others accused the accuser of disrespecting Kim's memory, saying, "Stop disrespecting the deceased. You heartless bastards."
