On March 19, Newsen, a prominent South Korean media platform, reported on the ongoing crisis surrounding actor Kim Soo-hyun and his connection to the late Kim Sae-ron. The article revealed that Kim Soo-hyun’s response strategy involves three distinct divisions working collaboratively to address the controversy.
The first division is a law firm that is responsible for managing all legal proceedings associated with the situation. The second division, comprising the management team, is focused on public relations and media interactions. Additionally, a specialized crisis management team has been tasked with addressing the ongoing issues, as detailed in the Newsen article.
According to reports, the crisis management team is actively investigating the timeline of events leading to Kim Sae-ron’s untimely death. This effort includes meeting with individuals close to the actress and gathering testimonies to provide a clearer understanding of the circumstances surrounding her demise. An excerpt from the article states:
“Kim Soo-hyun’s team is currently handling the crisis through three separate divisions. A law firm serves as the central control tower, overseeing legal matters, while the management team monitors media and advertising. Additionally, an internal and external team of crisis management experts is actively engaged.”
Further commentary in the article elaborates:
“This crisis management team has reportedly been retracing the circumstances leading up to Kim Sae-ron’s death by meeting with her acquaintances and former agency officials, raising speculation that they may have obtained significant testimonies or evidence.”
Overview of the Allegations Surrounding Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron
On March 11, the Garosero Research Institute released a YouTube report alleging a six-year romantic involvement between Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron, claiming they dated from 2015 to 2021. This relationship has raised serious allegations of grooming, given that Kim Sae-ron was merely 15 years old while Kim Soo-hyun was 27 when they began dating.
The relationship reportedly ended following Kim Sae-ron’s DUI incident in 2022. Notably, Kim Sae-ron became a member of Gold Medalist, Kim Soo-hyun’s agency, when it was established in 2019, contributing to its founding. In light of her DUI situation, it was reported that Gold Medalist, alongside Kim Soo-hyun, financially supported her, covering expenses exceeding 700 million KRW related to the incident.
Although Kim Sae-ron eventually departed from the agency, she pledged to repay the money in installments. In 2024, Gold Medalist issued a formal demand for repayment, which led to significant financial distress for Kim Sae-ron. Unable to address the claim, the actress reached out to Kim Soo-hyun for assistance, but he reportedly did not respond to her attempts to communicate.
Tragically, Kim Sae-ron took her life on February 16, coinciding with Kim Soo-hyun’s birthday, amid the mounting financial pressures she faced. In response to these developments, Gold Medalist released a statement clarifying that Kim Soo-hyun was not involved in the financial disputes concerning the actress and denied the grooming allegations, asserting that both were of legal age when their relationship began.
Despite the clarifications, the Garosero Research Institute has continued to circulate videos and images, maintaining claims that their relationship occurred when Kim Sae-ron was a minor, fueling further controversy.