'Garo-Getro Institute' released a document purporting to be a statement from the late Kim Sae-ron's mother.

On the 14th, 'Garo-Getro Institute (abbreviated as Gaseyeon)' continued its criticism and revelations against Kim Soo-hyun during a live broadcast on YouTube. In particular, they announced a statement they claimed was sent by the mother of Kim Sae-ron, saying she is the bereaved family. However, 'Gaseyeon' stated that Kim Sae-ron's mother did not want her voice revealed and used AI voice technology to present her statement.

Kim Sae-ron was found dead at her home in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on the 16th of last month. She was 25 years old. A friend of the deceased, who was supposed to meet her, reported that she found her collapsed at home. The police said they did not find evidence of forced entry or signs of homicide.

Recently, 'Gaseyeon' has raised allegations of 'grooming crime,' claiming that Kim Soo-hyun had a romantic relationship with Kim Sae-ron since her minor years. It was also claimed that Kim Soo-hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, pressured Kim Sae-ron by sending formal notice for a compensation of 700 million won, while Kim Soo-hyun allegedly turned a blind eye to it.

However, Gold Medalist issued an emergency statement that morning, asserting that Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron were in a relationship from the summer of 2019, when Kim Sae-ron was an adult, until the fall of 2020, denying the allegations. They also rebutted that the formal notice was merely part of a legal process related to the cancellation fee for Kim Sae-ron's drunk driving incident, which they did not demand repayment for.

Below is the full text of the statement released by 'Garo-Getro Institute' from Kim Sae-ron's mother.

Hello. I am the bereaved family of the late actress Kim Sae-ron.
After much contemplation, I have decided to release this statement as I have witnessed the intentions of my family being distorted and changed. As we previously communicated to Gaseyeon, our aim is to restore the honor of a child whose life has been ruined in an instant due to numerous false articles. Additionally, we want to establish a foundation to legally punish these malicious YouTubers and cyber trolls who are currently committing crimes and will continue to do so.

Sae-ron has never lied to the media. She has never pretended to be someone else with lies nor was she a child who enjoyed only partying with friends. She did not create dating rumors through manipulated photos. However, Lee Jin-ho and cyber trolls have created false articles that dragged the daily life of an ordinary and promising young actress and her family into hell. Moreover, Gold Medalist has portrayed Sae-ron as a crazy girl who lies about photos she posted, claiming their intent is unclear. Now that Sae-ron is gone, there are monstrous false articles, including claims that she was the head of a household, and that her family squandered hundreds of billions she earned, which are unbearable to even read.

What many of you are currently witnessing is the process of the case being expanded with just a few photos provided to Gaseyeon over the past few days. Still, if there is a powerful company behind it and a management that hires great lawyers, they can take some form of action to respond and mitigate the situation. But, at that time, Sae-ron had no one but her family. All the sharp arrows of false articles were directed at her, a young daughter just over twenty, and only Sae-ron had to endure the abusive comments that were too shameful to even mention.

It was Lee Jin-ho and the cyber trolls who trampled and kicked the fallen girl and then lifted her up only to throw her back down again. There were irresponsible media outlets that spread writings created by Lee Jin-ho and the cyber trolls without knowing the facts, along with various trolls who chimed in. For three years, Sae-ron has endured in solitude without sleep, which is akin to being collectively bullied by the nation due to the false articles triggered by Lee Jin-ho.

At that time, the media did not check for the authenticity or the facts. In fact, they did not even make such efforts. They only spread what Lee Jin-ho had written, colluded to discredit a promising actress, and fulfilled their roles as journalists while receiving their wages to maintain their daily lives. As the bereaved family, we asked for help, citing many unfair aspects, but not a single media outlet reached out to help. While we were mourning the death of our child, YouTubers hid cameras on their bodies and came to the funeral, and Lee Jin-ho called even during the mourning period. Can these people be called human? Can you forgive such humans?

If Professor Kwon Young-chan of the Korean Celebrity Suicide Prevention Association had not reached out to ask, and if Kim Se-hee of Gaseyeon had not extended a hand, our family would have become a scapegoat for Lee Jin-ho and the cyber trolls, carrying the tarnished honor of Sae-ron in people's minds and living with resentment for the rest of our lives.

Currently, the actions of Lee Jin-ho and those with him are criminal. It is difficult to hold them accountable for murder within the boundaries of the law that fails to keep up with the changing world. We, the bereaved family, only wish to fully restore the honor that Sae-ron held as an actress and rectify the false articles that deviate entirely from the truth, and hope this will serve as a motivation to establish legal and institutional measures so that the media can fulfill its mission and responsibility to prevent such incidents from happening again.

[Photo] OSEN DB.

[OSEN = Reporter Yeon Hwi-seon]