Seoul – The suicide of a young actor in South Korea. Accusations of a minor relationship. They are part of a growth drama In the world of Asian entertainment that raises questions about the treatment of society to celebrities in crisis, with hard means and online comments amplifying their lower moments.
This week, the South Korean actor Kim Soo-Hyun publicly denounced who came out with the late actor Kim Sae-Ron when he was less than the age of sexual consent. His emotional press conference followed Kim Sae-Ron suicide In February, which revived the accusations that they were romantically involved.
This is what we know about the case.
Kim Sae-Ron was once one of the most promising film stars in South Korea. He began acting at 9 years in the 2009 film “A Brand New Life”, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. He obtained more recognition with “The Man from Nowhere” (2010) and “A Girl at My Door” (2014), also invited to Cannes.
His career stopped in May 2022 after his car crashed in Seoul while driving under influence. Despite offering a public apology and, according to reports, paying compensation to stores that lost power due to the accident, faced implacable negative attention.
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Editor’s note: In South Korea, the people they call can receive 24-hour advice through the Direct Suicide Prevention Line 1577-0199, the “Life Line” service in 1588-9191, the “Telephone of La Esperanza” in 129 and the “Youth Telephone” in 1388.
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The media and online commentators examined their personal life. YouTube gossip channels accused her of exaggerating financial difficulties and questioned her sincerity. Critics and their family say that it contributed to their decrease in mental health.
He committed suicide on February 16, Kim Soo-Hyun’s birthday.
Kim Soo-Hyun, 37, has also been one of the most recognized actors in South Korea, known for dramas as “My love from the star” (2013) and “Queen of Tears” (2024), as well as films such as “The Thieves” (2012) and “Secretly, to a large extent” (2013).
Speculation about a relationship with Kim Sae-Ron began last year when he posted a photo of them, it was quickly eliminated. The gold medalist, the agency co-founded by Kim Soo-Hyun, denied the relationship, according to the media of South Korea.
Days after the death of Kim Sae-Ron, a YouTube channel known for its politically loaded content, Hoverlab, claimed that she and Kim Soo-Hyun had been in a six-year romantic relationship as of 2015, when he was 15 years old and he was about 20 years old. The channel launched what it called evidence that includes photos, videos and lyrics. Kim Soo-Hyun has called them manufactured.
Kim Sae-Ron’s family had approached Hoverlab to free the materials, calling him an attempt to restore the image of Kim Sae-Ron.
On March 27, a lawyer who represents the family of Kim Sae-Ron presented to journalists what the family said it was a photo of a letter not delivered written in 2024 in which Kim Sae-Ron described Kim Soo-Hyun as his “first and last love” and referred to a relationship of five to six years.
The letter was written after she could not reach Kim Soo-Hyun to discuss a debt owed to her agency, according to the lawyer. After the Kim Sae-Ron contract ended and was not renewed, the agency asked him to pay 700 million profits (about $ 520,000) in damages related to his drunk driving case. His family says that the demand was exercised by severe pressure on her.
Kim Soo-Hyun has acknowledged that he left with Kim Sae-Ron, but insisted that her relationship began after she became an adult. He called claims of a false and harmful minor relationship.
“It is also not true that the deceased made a tragic decision due to my avoidance (from her), or because my agency pressed it on the debt,” Kim told the press conference on Monday.
He refused to answer an AP question about when he met Kim Sae-Ron.
If any law broke it depends largely on the time. South Korea increased his age of sexual consent from 13 to 16 in 2020. Kim Sae-Ron was born in 2000, and the family alleges that the relationship began in 2015, when he was 15 years old and Kim Soo-Hyun was 27 years old.
Kim Soo-Hyun argues that his relationship lasted from the summer of 2019 to the autumn of 2020, when Kim Sae-Ron was a legal adult.
The Kim Soo-Hyun agency has taken legal actions against the family of Kim Sae-Ron and Hoverlab, which first issued the statements of the minor relationship, to distribute private photos and videos of the actor, including the images of Kim Soo-Hyun kissing the late actor. Kim’s agency said Kim Sae-Ron had visited his department and that his family was present. The agency said they were not dating at that time.
On Monday, Kim Soo-Hyun lawyer announced a civil lawsuit that seeks 12 billion Wones (approximately $ 8.15 million) in damages against the YouTube channel and Kim Sae-Ron’s family, together with criminal complaints that claim defamation and violation of privacy laws. Kim Soo-Hyun and his agency also sued the YouTube channel operator to harass.
The legal representative of the family and Hoverlab told the AP on Wednesday that they plan to demand Kim Soo-Hyun and his agency for making false statements about their relationship with the late actor.
Kim’s death revived the criticisms of the implacable culture of the media and the digital media of South Korea. His family has indicated videos with speculative and not verified content that portrays it as emotionally unstable and morally questionable.
Demand for defamation is often a long and expensive battle for the celebrities of South Korea, since many platforms, such as YouTube, are based abroad. The punishments are typically light, with suspended fines or sentences.
Other high profile cases after negative online care have included the death of K-Pop singers Sulli and Goo Hara In 2019 and “parasite” actor Read Sun-Kyun in 2023.
The Prada fashion brand has finished its collaboration with Kim Soo-Hyun. The South Korean cosmetics company ended its one -year contract with it, citing the seriousness of the controversy. 7-Eleven Taiwan canceled an event of Kim Soo-Hyun fans last month, citing changes in the schedule.
An online request This week, asking that the age of consent is collected from 16 to 19 has gathered almost 40,000 signatures on the National Assembly website.
Suggested Reforms In South Korea aimed at discouraging hard online comments have not been approved.
