Kim Sae-ron made her debut in the K-entertainment industry at the age of nine. Starring in “A Brand New Life” (2009) she rose to prominence with her role in “The Man From Nowhere” (2010). After reaching adulthood she continued her work in The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim(2021) and Netflix’s Bloodhounds(2023).
In 2022, her acting career basically came to a screening halt due to a drunk driving incident. She was fined KRW20 million ($13,815) for property damage. Causing her to face massive backlash online. She was practically blacklisted by the industry afterwards, even being heavily edited out of Bloodhounds in 2023. She also withdrew from projects such as “Trolley” and “Dongchimi”.
On Sunday February 16, Sae-ron was found dead in her apartment by friend. The authrories have declared that there were no signs of foul play and are continuing to investigate further. She left no note. Many Korean celebrities have paid tribute to Sae-ron on social media.
The circumstances leading to the actress’ death is familiar. Other celebrities before her had taken their own lives after their careers were destroyed by cyberbullying. As Kim was laid to rest on Wednesday, experts said they are not optimistic her death will lead to meaningful change in South Korea’s celebrity culture.
