On March 14th, Kim Sae Ron’s legal representative said to Asia Economy, “It is true that Kim Sae Ron is working part-time due to financial difficulties”.
According to the media, her lawyer said, “The penalty for the drunk driving accident is already significant, and it has caused her to take on lots of debts. The income Kim Sae Ron has earned so far has been spent entirely on her parents’ business and her family’s living expenses.”
The lawyer emphasized that Kim Sae Ron virtually had no assets at the time of the accident and pointed out, “The vehicle that caused the accident was her only property.” They explained, “Since the actress had no money, her agency had no choice but to compensate the victims, including merchants nearby the accident scene, with the security deposit for her rented property”, and that “the compensation amount exceeded the security deposit, and the rest was initially settled with the agency’s money.”
They added, “Kim Sae Ron is in a situation where she has to repay her agency the amount compensated by them first.”
A considerable amount of the compensation that Kim Sae Ron was burdened with was reportedly the penalty for breach of contract with the production companies of the works that she was either filming or preparing for at the time of the accident. Netflix’s original drama “Bloodhounds”, which has been scheduled to premiere this year, has edited out Kim Sae Ron’s screen time. SBS’s drama “Trolley” cast actress Jung Soo Bin to replace Kim Sae Ron and continued the filming.
Earlier, Kim Sae Ron’s legal representative appealed for leniency at the trial held at Seoul Central District Court by Jude Lee Hwan Ki of Criminal Division 4, saying “Kim Sae Ron, who has been supporting her family as the breadwinner, is suffering financial difficulties after paying all the damage compensations”, adding “Not only Kim Sae Ron but also her family are experiencing from hardships due to this incident.”
The prosecution pointed out, “The defendant tried to flee away without taking any measure after causing the unfavorable accident while driving under the influence of alcohol with a very high blood alcohol level”, and demanded the court to fine Kim Sae Ron 20 million won.
After the trial, Kim Sae Ron posted three photos on her Instagram on the 11th. The pictures showed her working in the store of famous coffee franchise A, including baking while wearing an apron and hygiene gloves.
Regarding this, A company said to Sports Chosun on the 13th, “After checking with the mentioned store, we confirm that Kim Sae Ron has never been employed by either the store or our company. The place where she took her baking photo is not even our store”, adding, “We are considering taking action against Kim Sae Ron.”
Kim Sae Ron’s sentencing trial will be held on the 5th of next month.
Source: Wikitree
