[Sports Chosun Reporter Kim Sohee] As actor Kim Sae-ron suddenly passed away, her past SNS posts are being revisited.
According to the Seoul Seongdong Police Station on the 16th, Kim Sae-ron was found deceased at her home in Seongdong-gu at around 4:45 PM. She was 25 years old.
The first person to find her was a friend who had arranged to meet her and discovered Kim at her home, then reported to the police.
A police official mentioned, “No signs of external intrusion or criminal activity have been confirmed so far,” and added, “An autopsy will be requested from the National Forensic Service to determine the exact cause of death.” It was reported that no will was found at the site.
With the shocking news of her sudden passing, attention is again drawn to her last SNS post and posts made during her period of reflection.
Kim Sae-ron’s last SNS post was a tribute to Moon Bin of the group ASTRO, who passed away in 2023. On Moon Bin’s birthday last month on the 26th, Kim posted a photo with him, captioned “HBD♥.” This photo was taken during the shooting of the 2015 web drama “To Be Continued.” Both were under the same agency, Fantagio. This post has since been deleted due to the nature of the story feature.
Kim Sae-ron often expressed her inner thoughts on SNS. In April last year, she posted, “It’s really hard, can you all stop?” but quickly deleted it, indirectly revealing her feelings. The post featured a line from Gong Hyo-jin in the movie “The Most Ordinary Love,” saying, “It’s really hard, can you all stop?”
Although the post was quickly erased, some speculated at the time that Kim Sae-ron might be indirectly expressing her feelings after her attempt to return from controversy over drunk driving fell through.
Previously, in May 2022, Kim Sae-ron was involved in a drunk driving accident near Hakdong intersection in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, colliding with guardrails and trees more than three times. Her blood alcohol level at the time was about 0.2%, far exceeding the license revocation limit. The incident caused a power outage in nearby shops as it damaged a transformer, impacting their business operations.
As a result, Kim Sae-ron was fined 20 million won. During the trial, she pleaded for leniency due to financial difficulties, but her claims were met with skepticism due to allegations of fabricating part-time job stories to invoke sympathy.
Despite being in a self-reflection period, Kim still garnered criticism for posting a selfie with actor Kim Soo-hyun, sparking “self-dating rumors” and being accused of trying to attract attention.
In the face of negative public opinion, Kim attempted to return to acting through theater in April last year but withdrew due to health reasons, halting her comeback. Later in November, she indicated a return by being spotted filming the movie “Guitar Man,” but tragically, her life was cut short.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or other difficult issues, you can reach out to suicide prevention hotlines such as ☎1393, mental health hotlines ☎1577-0199, Hope Line ☎129, Life Line ☎1588-9191, and youth hotlines ☎1388. There are also mobile apps and KakaoTalk services offering 24-hour expert consultations.