The actor Kim Soo-hyun's side rebuffed claims that he sent a second letter of content to pressure the late Kim Sae-ron regarding 700 million won in repayment through an official statement.
On the 18th, Kim Soo-hyun's agency Gold Medalist released an official statement saying, "We have not requested compensation for damages affecting any works from Ms. Kim Sae-ron anywhere. Claiming compensation for damages through posting photos on social media or contacting the agency's actors is also impossible," adding, "The reason we sent the second letter of content was to provide Ms. Kim Sae-ron with a more accurate guide regarding the letter of content."
The day before, the bereaved family of the late Kim Sae-ron filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on defamation charges, stating that YouTuber A had posted negative videos about the deceased, causing pain. They also claimed that after the late Kim Sae-ron received a letter of content regarding the repayment of 700 million won, she sent messages to Kim Soo-hyun, such as, "Please save me," and "Give me time," shortly after which the agency sent a second letter of content to threaten her.
In response, Gold Medalist released the full text of the letter of content, refuting, "We have never pressured Ms. Kim Sae-ron to repay her debt." It stated that they assessed she was unable to repay the debt and handled it as a loss in December 2023, emphasizing that the second letter of content was merely a guide to legal procedures. Gold Medalist explained, "We sent the second letter of content to Ms. Kim Sae-ron because 'if we do not claim repayment despite the due date for your lending repayment, there is a possibility that our company's executives could incur charges of breach of trust,' and expressed our willingness to 'deliberate on the methods and timings of debt repayment in a proactive manner.'
Concerning the claim from the bereaved family that the agency blocked communication between Kim Sae-ron and the agency's actors, they stated, "The content of the second letter of content was meant to advise not to discuss debt issues with individuals who do not have legal authority but to communicate with the responsible attorney," asserting, "What we said to Ms. Kim Sae-ron regarding communication with agency actors was not to inquire with other persons in our company 'regarding this debt matter.' In reality, Ms. Kim Sae-ron freely communicated with the agency actors.
Additionally, regarding the spread of a photo of Kim Sae-ron standing with a man at her home in an online community, they stated, "The individual in the photo is not Kim Soo-hyun but another person," urging them to "please cease attempts to tarnish Mr. Kim Soo-hyun's reputation based on unrelated photographs and online postings."
Kim Sae-ron was found dead at her home in Seongdong District, Seoul, on the 16th of last month. Subsequently, the YouTube channel 'Garo Se-ro Research Institute' cited conversations with Kim Sae-ron's family, claiming that Kim Soo-hyun had been in a relationship with Kim Sae-ron, who was 15 at the time, for six years. Furthermore, it was alleged that after Kim Sae-ron's side agreed to repay a penalty of 700 million won that Gold Medalist had covered for the production company of the drama 'Hunting Dogs,' a letter of content demanding repayment was sent stating, 'If you do not repay, we will take legal action.'
In response, the agency refuted these claims as "false facts," but when images of the deceased and Kim Soo-hyun's intimate photos and letters were made public, they noted, "They dated from the summer of 2019 until the fall of 2020, after Kim Sae-ron became an adult." Regarding the letter of content sent about the 700 million won repayment, they explained, "If we were to arbitrarily bear the penalty that Kim Sae-ron should bear, it could constitute breach of trust for the executives who made that decision, and there were concerns that the costs would not be recognized as a company's expenses," stating that this needed to be validated to ensure our claims against Kim Sae-ron.
On the 17th, during a press conference, attorney Bujiseok of the law firm Buyu, representing the bereaved family of the late Kim Sae-ron, reported, "After the agency sent the first letter of content, Kim Sae-ron sent a message to Kim Soo-hyun saying, 'Please save me.' In response, Kim Soo-hyun sent a second letter of content. Briefly summarizing the contents of the second letter of content, while it mentions that it cannot be helped because 'it relates to breach of trust' as the agency said, it was, in essence, stating that they would shorten the time, and demanding that she must repay the debt," claiming, "They instructed her not to contact Kim Soo-hyun or actors affiliated with him directly, and that they would take legal action regarding the act of posting photos."
He continued, "Since the second letter of content, there has not been a single contact from Kim Soo-hyun, and communication with other actors in the agency, with whom she originally had contact, has also been cut off. I can hardly even imagine the mental pain the deceased must have endured upon receiving such letters of content." He added, "I do not understand why they are waiting for contact from the bereaved family now through an open statement. We are currently considering legal action against Kim Soo-hyun's side."