Kim Sae Ron’s cause of death revealed by police
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of suicide.
More details have been disclosed about the sudden passing of Kim Sae Ron at age 24.
"We believe she made an extreme choice and plan to handle it as a suicide," a police official told the media during a briefing at the National Office of Investigation, as reported by Korean media outlets like The Korea Times and Yonhap News Agency.
Authorities said the actress didn't leave a note in her home, where she was found dead on Sunday, Feb. 16. They didn't find “any signs of foul play” at the time.
Kim Sae Ron made her acting debut in 2009 in the film A Brand New Life. She later became part of other movies like The Man from Nowhere, A Girl at My Door, and The Neighbor. She also appeared in K-dramas such as Listen to My Heart, The Queen’s Classroom, Hi! School-Love On, The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim, and Secret Healer, among others.
Her most recent acting role was in the 2023 Netflix series Bloodhounds.
On Korea’s ‘harsh’ criticism of celebrities
Kim Sae Ron faced backlash in 2022 after she was caught driving under the influence and crashing her vehicle into multiple trees and guardrails in the Cheongdam neighborhood in Gangnam District. The accident left a transformer broken, cutting off electric supply for 57 nearby businesses.
Following her death, her fans and personalities weighed in on the harsh treatment of celebrities every time they face controversies.
Na Jong Ho, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University, slammed Korean society with the harsh, unforgiving treatment towards Sae Ron over her DUI case, describing it as a massive “Squid Game” in real life.
"Kim Sae Ron's death feels like one of someone pushed to the edge. A society that buries people without giving them a second chance after a mistake is not a healthy one,” he wrote in his Facebook post on Feb. 17, per The Korea Times.
“Our society discards those who stumble and move on as if nothing happened. It feels like a massive, real-life version of Squid Game. How many more lives must be lost before we stop inflicting this suffocating shame on people?" he added.
Singer Migyo also slammed the haters as well as the media for malicious comments.
"It takes someone dying for haters to stop. They only realize it after the fact. But they probably don’t even realize that they were the ones leaving the malicious comments,” she wrote on her Instagram post on Feb. 16, according to an AllKpop report.
"The same goes for the media. They chase after issues, create clickbait with sensational headlines, and fabricate narratives just to stir up attention. But once someone dies, they suddenly act like they had nothing to do with it, pretending to be virtuous and it’s sickening. Taking a life seems to be nothing to them. The only one to pity is the deceased,” she added.
Her fans also wrote a statement on the online community DC Inside, lamenting how the actress faced “constant hostility” despite acknowledging her mistakes.
"Kim Sae Ron acknowledged her mistakes, apologized, and tried to move on with her life. But the constant hostility and public indifference she faced exceeded what anyone could bear,” the statement read, which also noted the “double standards” between celebrities and politicians. "When we see politicians guilty of far more serious crimes living freely without facing the same scrutiny, we cannot help but question the double standards applied to celebrities."
If you think you, your friend, or your family member is considering self-harm or suicide, you may call the National Mental Health Crisis Hotline at 1553 (Luzon-wide, landline toll-free), 09178998727 for Globe/TM users, or 09190571553 for Smart users.
