On March 12, the late actress Kim Sae-ron was allegedly pressured by Kim Soo-hyun and his agency to repay 700 million won after her DUI accident. Reports suggest that Kim Soo-hyun, rumored to have dated her as a minor, and Gold Medalist demanded the full amount while she was planning her comeback.
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Kim Soo-hyun at the Height of His Career… Why Send a Legal Notice?
In March 2023, when Kim Soo-hyun’s drama “Queen of Tears” was airing successfully, his former agency, Gold Medalist, sent Kim Sae-ron a certification of contents demanding full repayment of 700 million won. Industry insiders found this move puzzling, considering that Kim Soo-hyun was thriving in both the drama and advertisement industries at the time.
Text messages released by Kim Sae-ron’s family revealed that she pleaded with Kim Soo-hyun, saying repaying the amount in one go was unrealistic. She reportedly reached out to acquaintances to verify his contact information but ultimately resorted to posting and deleting a photo of them together on social media in an attempt to get his attention.
Gold Medalist later stated that the legal notice was a mere formality and that Kim Sae-ron was informed of this belatedly. However, sources confirmed that she felt immense pressure because she was unable to contact either Kim Soo-hyun or his agency until after she posted the photo.
How Was the 700 Million Won Calculated?
The 700 million won mentioned in the legal notice was reportedly the settlement amount agreed upon between Kim Sae-ron and Studio N, the production company of the Netflix series “Bloodhounds,” in which she was filming before her DUI accident. Initially, the production company demanded 7 billion won in damages, but Kim Sae-ron personally visited them, pleaded for leniency, and settled for 700 million won.
Due to her DUI incident, “Bloodhounds” underwent script modifications and a two-month-long reshoot, resulting in direct losses of over 1 billion won. Considering the damage to the show’s reputation, insiders stated that the initial 7 billion won claim was not unreasonable and that the 700 million won settlement was a compromise.
Apart from this, Kim Sae-ron reportedly covered her advertisement penalty fees by selling her car and using her savings. However, the 700 million won settlement was paid by Gold Medalist on her behalf, as she was unable to afford it at the time.
Did Kim Soo-hyun Know About the Legal Notice?
An industry source stated that while Kim Sae-ron may have felt betrayed when the agency chose not to renew her contract, their relationship was not hostile until the legal notice was sent. The source also questioned whether Kim Soo-hyun was fully aware of the situation, given that people around him were already familiar with the matter.
Meanwhile, Gold Medalist firmly denied all allegations regarding Kim Soo-hyun’s alleged past relationship with Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor and dismissed claims that the agency mishandled her DUI case. The agency also announced legal action against the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute, which initially reported the claims.
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