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Before her death, Kim Saeron suffered from endless attacks and malicious comments from provocative YouTubers, and her family continued to endure this pain even after her passing. On the afternoon of the 12th, The Fact interviewed Kim Saeron's aunt by phone to discuss the details of the ongoing controversy.
The Fact also contacted Kim Soohyun's agency, Gold Medalist, to hear their position on sensitive issues such as whether or not they were dating and about the legal notice regarding the repayment of 700 Million KRW. Although the agency answered a few times by phone that afternoon, they avoided making statements by saying "We need to coordinate internally first," and ultimately did not provide any response until late at night.
Below is the phone conversation with Kim Saeron's aunt.
Q: First of all, can you explain the 700 Million KRW in damages that was stated in the legal notice sent by her former agency?
A: After the DUI incident, she paid for all the damages, such as the broken electronic transformer and repairs of the businesses around, without any help from the agency. She did her best to pay off everything she could, but there was no more money left to pay the rest. The damages of the production of the Netflix series 'Bloodhounds' which was canceled due to the DUI incident, amounted to around 690 Million KRW, roughly close to 700 Million KRW. This money was paid by the agency, but according to Saeron, Kim Soohyun personally lent her the money.
Q: Initially, it was mentioned that the total amount of damages due to the DUI incident and advertising penalty fees were said to be 20 Billion KRW. What is this about?
A: Saeron wasn't a top star. It's unlikely that her advertising penalties would reach that amount. I heard that the production cost for the Netflix series 'Bloodhounds,' was around that amount. If they passed all of that onto Saeron, it would make sense that the total amount was close to that. At the time, about 80% to 90% of the filming was already completed, and Saeron said she would take responsibility and finish the filming, but this wasn't accepted. The final compensation that she had to bear was about 700 Million KRW.
'Bloodhounds' was produced as a Netflix original drama in June 2023. It consisted of a total of 8 episodes, directed by Kim Joo-hwan, who directed the films 'Midnight Runners' and 'The Divine Fury,' and co-produced by Seed Film and Studio N. Actors Woo Dohwan, Lee Sangyi, Park Sungwoong, and Heo Junho appeared in it. This drama, which went through many twists and turns before its release, reached number one globally within a week of its release.
Q: What do you think is the reason why Kim Saeron, who was the agency's 1st star, chose not to renew her contract and received a legal notice from her company that demanded repayment for the aftermath of the DUI incident?
A: It's true that Saeron made a mistake with the DUI incident, but he sent her a legal notice with the names of 3 lawyers listed on it, demanding such a young girl to pay back 700 Million KRW, which was obviously too much for her to handle. I think he probably realized that it would be difficult for her to make a comeback and he wanted to get rid of the negative association with the young girl he once dated. I don't know if Kim Soohyun initially understood Saeron's situation at first, but from what I heard from Saeron, he had a fight with his cousin because they had different opinions on the issue of repaying the money.
Q: They both had different claims about whether or not they were in a relationship at one point. What's the truth?
A: What kind of parents would lie about their dead child? The family found out about their relationship just before Saeron transferred to Gold Medalist. There was too much of an age gap to call them dating, but it's clear that they both liked each other. When Saeron transferred from YG to Gold Medalist, she insisted that they were very fond of each other. Even though he's a famous actor, her parents strongly opposed the relationship out of concern due to the huge age gap.
Q: What do you regret or feel sad about now that Saeron has passed?
A: It's very heartbreaking to know that we couldn't comfort Saeron through her pain. I can't even express my disappointment in her former agency. Despite her parents' objections, they took Saeron in and Kim Soohyun reassured her parents by saying, "I will take full responsibility. Don't worry." However, after such an irreversible incident happened, they did not provide any support and instead drove her to a corner. If the agency couldn't be there for her in her difficult times, who else could she trust?
Kim Saeron's aunt said, "We will also take legal action against the provocative YouTuber (She specifically mentioned the former entertainment journalist, Mr. L) who drove our Saeron to death." A petition for stronger measures against YouTubers who invade privacy is currently being conducted. She sobbed, "The petition runs until the 26th. I hope many people will join in so that we can strengthen the weak punishments. Even though Saeron is gone now, I hope that no more unfair deaths will occur in the future due to careless, irresponsible privacy violations."
-Goodbye, Kim Soohyun.
-He blatantly groomed her when she was a minor, kept her under his control, then discarded her when she became an adult, and drove her to death. Pedophile, sociopath.
-They're only reporting it now? It's too late. The media is so rotten.
-He said he'd take responsibility, but then pushed her off a cliff? Even animals wouldn't do that.
-He claimed to lend her the money personally, then why did he send the legal notice under the agency's name? This is sickening.
-I hope he admits and apologizes before more photos come out today...
-How can a person be so evil?
-So now they're listening? The media is no different.
-.... This is truly horrible.
-My heart breaks for Saeron, it’s so tragic.
