In a newly circulated screenshot on social media, Kim Soo Hyun was accused of pressuring the late Kim Sae Ron to repay millions of dollars that Gold Medalist covered for her DUI incident, amid claims of a connection between the actor and the late actress.
Kim Sae Ron was signed under Gold Medalist until her DUI incident. Instead of taking legal action against her, she allegedly pleaded with him in a message dated March 19, 2024, asking for more time to repay the amount.
On March 11, 2025, the message was made public by Korean media outlets, a day after controversy surrounding their relationship emerged.
“Oppa (Korean term for an older male), it’s Sae-ron. I received the content-certified letter. You’re suing me … I’ve been preparing for my return to acting, and I plan to repay you gradually from each project. It’s not that I won’t pay, but I just can’t manage 700 million won (27.6 million pesos) all at once. Please give me time. I’m begging you, please help me,” Kim Sae Ron wrote in her text.
Sae Ron’s family claims that despite her repeated attempts to contact Kim Soo Hyun, he never responded. Five days later, on March 24, 2024, the actress posted a picture of them together on Instagram, with their cheeks touching, before later deleting it from her page.
YouTube channel Hoverlab, also known as Garo Sero Institute, also revealed a new photo of Kim Soo Hyun appearing to be kissing Kim Sae Ron on the cheek, allegedly posted on the same day as the deleted Instagram post. The family claimed that she was only 15 at the time the photo was taken, when she was in her third year of middle school.
A newly surfaced image, allegedly posted on the same day as the deleted Instagram post, shows Kim Soo Hyun kissing Kim Sae Ron on the cheek, according to the YouTube channel Hoverlab, also known as Garo Sero Institute. Her family claims that she was in her third year of middle school and only 15 years old when the picture was taken.
Gold Medalist has denied the allegations, calling the claims of a romantic relationship between the two actors “baseless falsehoods” and threatening serious legal action.
The agency initially denied the allegations, stating that claims of Kim Soo Hyun having a romantic relationship with Kim Sae Ron when she was 15 and the agency mistreating her following her DUI incident are entirely false.
According to the agency, such accusations resemble the actions of so-called “cyber wreckers,” whom the late actress herself struggled with during her lifetime. In response to the recent claims, the agency announced that it is considering further legal action and will issue a statement once preparations are complete.
However, today, Gold Medalist announced that they will release an official statement regarding the recent allegations next week.
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