Kim Sae-ron is dead
The 24-year-old Korean actress was found dead at her home in Seoul.
The body of Korean actress Kim Sae-ron was discovered on February 17, 2025. It was determined that she had died the day before. With no foul suspected, suicide is rumoured.
Her debut, as a nine-year-old, was playing an orphan in ‘A Brand New Life’ (2009). Although that attracted attention, including her red carpet walk at Cannes, it was the following year’s ‘The Man From Nowhere’ that shot her to fame.
At the age of 13, she co-starred with Doona Bae in the crowd-pleasing ‘A Girl at My Door’ (2014). Also well received was ‘Snowy Road’ (2015), a historical drama in which Sae-ron played a Japanese WW2 “comfort woman” (i.e., kidnapped and raped).
Oddly, her success playing abused characters led to her being bullied at school. Home life was also complicated, with her mom’s depression, and her later supporting her family (which includes two sisters). However, I reach for this photo of her and her mom in a happier moment - you will be guessing who is who.
As with so many South Korean actresses, a big part of her career tragically became television soapies, what the world now labels as K-Drama. That included the high school fantasy, ‘Excellent Shaman Ga Doo Shim’.
Her fame imploded in 2022 when, driving under the influence of alcohol, she crashed her car into an electrical transformer which killed the power to businesses for 3 hours. That will seem like a minor affair to Western readers, but she was publicly crucified and allegedly paid all her earnings as compensation.
How could she not have been rich after a big 14-year career? I wonder if men, as they sometimes do, especially in the movie industry, saw her weakness and took advantage.
The Public’s inexplicable wrath forced Sae-ron to become a recluse, and take on part-time jobs. She allegedly changed her name to 'Kim Ah-im’ before she died.
For us, that’s not the end of her story. In November 2024, she finished filming ‘Guitar Man’, an independent film she hoped would be her comeback. It’s directed by Shin Jae-ho, and should be released late this year. Expect the people who vilified her to love it.
If you’re a newcomer to Kim Sae-ron, I recommend you start with ‘Man From Nowhere’.
Along with 'Castaway on the Moon', ‘A Brand New Life’ and ‘The Man From Nowhere’ were my introduction to Korean movies. I've watched at least 160 since then. Thus, without me realising it, Kim Sae-ron played a part in getting me hooked onto foreign movies. Previously, I feared 'Snowy Road' would be too melodramatic, but now I'm keen to see it. As well as 'The Neighbours' which is an ensemble cast. As said above, if you're new to her, start with the likeable action of 'The Man From Nowhere'.
How sad...