ENTERTAINMENT
Actors Won Bin and Han So-hee Pay Respects at Kim Sae-ron's Memorial
On the morning of the 17th, Won Bin visited Kim Sae-ron's memorial at the Seoul Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul, to express his condolences. Known for his reclusive lifestyle outside of commercial shoots, Won Bin sent a condolence wreath with his wife, actress Lee Na-young, and personally attended the memorial.
The connection between Won Bin and Kim Sae-ron dates back 15 years. In 2010, they co-starred in the film 'The Man from Nowhere' directed by Lee Jeong-beom. Won Bin played the role of Cha Tae-sik, a former special forces operative turned pawnshop owner, while Kim Sae-ron portrayed Jeong So-mi, a 9-year-old girl living with her mother who works in the nightlife industry.
According to the Seongdong Police Station, Kim Sae-ron was found deceased at her home in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, at 4:54 PM on the 16th. A friend who was scheduled to meet her discovered the scene and reported it to the police.
The police stated, "No signs of external intrusion or criminal activity have been found so far," adding that "the cause of death is under investigation." It was also reported that no suicide note was found at the scene.
Kim Sae-ron began her career as a child model for the magazine 'Enfant' in 2001. She debuted as an actress in the 2009 film 'A Brand New Life' and gained fame the following year with 'The Man from Nowhere' starring Won Bin.
She continued to build her career with roles in 'The Neighbors,' 'Manhole,' 'A Girl at My Door,' SBS drama 'Fashion King,' and MBC drama 'The Queen's Classroom.' She also starred in JTBC's historical fantasy 'Mirror of the Witch' and KakaoTV's 'The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim.'
Kim Sae-ron's career faced a setback in 2022 when she was involved in a DUI accident, crashing into a guardrail and a transformer. She was fined 20 million won in 2023 for the incident. Although she appeared in the Netflix series 'Bloodhounds,' most of her scenes were edited out due to the accident.
Following the incident, Kim Sae-ron temporarily halted her acting career. She attempted to return with the play 'Dongchimi' in April last year but withdrew due to public criticism and health reasons.
In July last year, it was reported that Kim Sae-ron was working at a café in Seoul, with plans to open her own café.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the suicide prevention hotline at ☎109 or contact the SNS counseling service Madeline for 24-hour professional support.
Choi Ji-ye, TenAsia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr
