Actress Kim Sae Ron, who passed away earlier this year, had reportedly endured years of severe financial hardship, much of it tied to her family's economic struggles.
It has been confirmed that Kim Sae Ron assumed some of her family's debts and sustained her living expenses with financial assistance from figures in the entertainment industry and acquaintances. According to 2023 court documents, she was listed as a creditor in her father’s personal bankruptcy case. Her claim reportedly exceeded 250 million KRW (approx. $180,000 USD).
Her father, Mr. A, filed for bankruptcy in December 2020 at the Uijeongbu District Court after his business failed due to COVID-19. He left behind billions of won in debt to over 20 creditors. His bankruptcy and discharge were finalized in March 2023. At that time, Kim Sae Ron was 20 years old.
Reportedly, Kim had also invested in her family's restaurant business, which opened in May 2021 under a friend’s name but ultimately shut down in 2024. Despite mobilizing her connections and financial support, the venture failed. According to the building manager, the restaurant closed before the lease ended, having lost its deposit due to overdue rent and utility fees.
Kim’s financial woes intensified following her drunk driving incident in May 2022, during which she crashed into a transformer. The resulting compensation to surrounding businesses and legal expenses reportedly imposed a massive burden.
During her DUI trial in 2023, Kim Sae Ron, through her legal representative, stated, "She is the breadwinner supporting her family, who are also suffering from financial difficulties.”
An industry insider added, “Kim Sae Ron took up various jobs—working in cafés, bars, flower shops, and as an acting coach—without rest, just to cover her living expenses. She once had to urgently repay a debt of around 50 million KRW (approx. $36,000 USD) borrowed from an athlete friend, and her agency had to step in to help.”
A neighbor in the building where she lived before her death recalled, “I once saw her crying on the stairs. When I asked if she was okay, she showed me her wrist and said it was just too hard to keep going, even though she was trying so hard. That was about two months before she passed.”
In a private post from around September 2023 on her private social media account, Kim Sae Ron expressed her financial struggles and gratitude to friends who had helped her. The message included a poignant line: “I won’t be in pain any longer,” implying her emotional state.
According to SBS Entertainment News, apart from three celebrities Kim Sae Ron mentioned by name, she owed money to several others, including singers, actors, and athletes—ranging from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of won. Her previous agency Gold Medalist was reportedly owed about 700 million KRW, and another agency, Run Entertainment, around 60 million KRW. Altogether, her total debt before her death is estimated at a minimum of 1.2 billion KRW (over $860,000 USD).
However, about a month after Kim’s death, her family publicly denied claims that she was burdened by family debt. In an official statement, her mother said:
“Now that Sae Ron is gone, there are outrageous false reports—claims that she was the sole breadwinner, or that the family squandered hundreds of millions she earned. These are neither worth reading nor believing.”
Three months after her death, controversy still surrounds the cause, responsibility, and the nature of her alleged relationship with actor Kim Soo Hyun during her minor years. Kim Sae Ronn's side has stated their relationship began only after she became an adult. His team filed defamation and other charges against the YouTube channel Garosero Institute and Kim’s family, while also accusing the channel of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (unauthorized image distribution).
In response, Kim Sae Ron’s family filed a counter-lawsuit on May 7, accusing Kim Soo Hyun of violating the Child Welfare Act.
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