The late actress’s father has had enough of Kim Soo Hyun and Lee Jin Ho’s lies.

In response to GOLD MEDALIST‘s official statements, issued on behalf of actor Kim Soo Hyun, actress Kim Sae Ron‘s family has spoken up again via the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute.

This time, the late actress’s father voiced his frustration with the actor, his agency, and YouTuber Lee Jin Ho for still failing to acknowledge how their actions impacted Kim Sae Ron.

In a vehement statement, the father called out the “legally minimizing” statement from GOLD MEDALIST and clarified that the agency “did not explain anything” to the late actress after sending a letter demanding her to pay back the ₩700 million KRW (about $482,000 USD).

“Hello, this is Kim Sae Ron’s family.

We carefully reviewed GOLD MEDALIST’s first statement, which was clearly crafted and distributed with the help of a prominent lawyer from a renowned law firm, with the goal of minimizing harm to both the actor and the agency, both legally and ethically.

Their statement felt as though it was written from the perspective of a legal team, focusing solely on the issue of evidence admissibility, as if in the political realm. 

But will the public believe what was said? Just because Kim Soo Hyun and/or the agency does not admit to it, does it make the letter any less romantic in nature? Do you think it’s right to keep pushing the narrative that the legal team came up with? Even after seeing the letter?

Even the part about having paid off Sae Ron’s financial obligations and written it off as a loss, it’s clearly written from the legal team’s perspective—ignoring the broader context.

Has GOLD MEDALIST filed a lawsuit or report for embezzlement against Kim Soo Hyun or  the CEO Lee Sa Rang? Is that why the agency sent Sae Ron a legal notice demanding the ₩700 million KRW (about $482,000 USD) be paid back in 13 months, threatening to sue if not paid?

Bringing up an absurd ’embezzlement’ talk does that make those actions right. So, please stop playing these childish games. At no point did anyone from GOLD MEDALIST reach out to Sae Ron and tell her not to be surprised. No one told her that the legal notice was part of a legal process that the agency was following.

When Sae Ron received the notice, she tried to contact each and every one of the agency representatives. No one responded to her. Sae Ron continued to reach out to verify whether this was Kim Soo Hyun’s decision or the agency’s.” 

— Kim Sae Ron’s Father

The father then went on to reveal more details about how invasive Lee Jin Ho was in his videos (which have since been taken down). According to the father’s statement, Lee Jin Ho accused Kim Sae Ron of having mistreated the staff she worked with. Refuting this, the father noted that all of her former co-stars, staff, and on-set acquaintances came to bid her farewell—unlike Kim Soo Hyun and GOLD MEDALIST who never attended the wake.

“After she was ignored endlessly, Sae Ron posted the photo [of her and Kim Soo Hyun] to spark some sort of a response. Yet, YouTuber Lee Jin Ho mocked her by posting a video with a thumbnail reading, ‘The Real Reason Actress Kim Sae Ron Has Gone Wild.’ In the video, Lee Jin Ho asked ‘What’s going on with her? Why is she causing so much controversy?’

What he did is comparable to someone breaking and entering a house, making a mess, and then asking, ‘Why is this house so messy?’ Only a mentally disturbed person would do such a thing.

Lee Jin Ho also claimed that Sae Ron lacked proper education and personal development because she had learned social interactions through movie scripts and filming sets starting at a young age. Just like that, he denied the existence of her normal, stable family.

He also made accusations about her using foul language and mistreating powerless staff, calling her behavior a perfect example of a troublemaker actress on a power trip.

How did Lee Jin Ho, as a reporter, fail to fact-check any of these statements? Instead, he went on to livestream his personal opinions, which then were all turned into news articles. Who brought Lee Jin Ho up to be a reporter like this? Isn’t he the one lacking basic human decency and empathy for others?

During Sae Ron’s wake, a lot of people from the Korean movie and drama industry attended, including assistant directors from her past projects, bodyguards from her stage appearances, and countless staff members who worked tirelessly behind-the-scenes through various opportunities.

In contrast, no one from GOLD MEDALIST attended, despite Sae Ron being one of the founding members and the first actress to be signed under the agency.

I’d gladly connect you to the people from the industry who attended the wake. Would you like to interview them?”

— Kim Sae Ron’s Father

Further slamming the reporter-turned-YouTuber as unethical, the father asked Lee Jin Ho who “the close acquaintance” that he cited as the source in his videos about the late actress. The long statement ended with the father asking Lee Jin Ho if he would be proud to show his work to his parents, wife and kids, and relatives.

“Another video that Lee Jin Ho posted was titled, “Kim Sae Ron Works Cafe Job In Tears: Why Her Sincerity Is Being Questioned.”

Lee Jin Ho claimed to have discovered where Sae Ron worked, insisting that the possibility of her actually working there was low. He also claimed that none of her acquaintances knew about the cafe job. He said, while all of it is his speculation and nothing is confirmed, that Sae Ron was constantly finding herself in the middle of scandals because she is letting loose and partying her time away after living a restricted life for the money and fame.

I just want to know, who were the acquaintances that you spoke to?

Sae Ron didn’t owe anyone any explanation about why she was working a cafe job. Maybe the acquaintances that he found weren’t actually close to Sae Ron at all and had no idea because she didn’t tell them. But I have a feeling that he didn’t speak to anyone and the ‘acquaintances’ are him and his buddies instead.

In fact, one reporter from Sports World happened to see Sae Ron working at the cafe and later admitted on Channel A’s Happy Morning program that they were initially biased based on Lee Jin Ho’s incorrect article.

Just know that Sae Ron was trying to move forward with her life, regardless of who was saying what on TV.

Did your family gain peace and fortune by framing her as a liar?

Lee Jin Ho also claimed, on his broadcast, that Sae Ron impulsively posted the photo with Kim Soo Hyun to boast about her past success, since Kim Soo Hyun was seeing great success with his K-Drama. He said it must have been out of desire to seem still relevant while she was out of the spotlight to reflect about her [DUI] incident.

He even went on to say, “Kim Sae Ron seems to have posted the photo in a moment of impulsiveness and instability. She expressed regret for her actions through a mutual acquaintance.” Who is this acquaintance of hers?

She had a reason for posting that photo. After being disregarded over and over again by GOLD MEDALIST following the legal notice, she made the choice as last resort. Those who knew her understood her reason.

So who exactly is this “acquaintance” that obviously doesn’t know anything about the situation? Is it some imaginary acquaintance of hers in Lee Jin Ho’s mind? Which part of Lee Jin Ho’s statements actually aligns with the truth?

After all those videos, after all the things he said… Who would believe that Lee Jin Ho was trying to help Sae Ron? Would his family and children believe him? Would he be willing to show his videos to his parents, look them in the eyes and say he was honestly trying to help? Can he interview them and ask if they think what he did was the right thing?”

— Kim Sae Ron’s Father

Earlier, the bereaved announced that they will be suing Lee Jin Ho for defamation, despite his apology. Read more: