26-05-2025
Late actress Kim Sae-ron reportedly left a farewell message five months before her death
The late actress Kim Sae-ron reportedly wrote a farewell message on her private Instagram account five months before her death, according to SBS Entertainment News.
On Friday (May 23), the South Korean news outlet reported that Kim's acquaintance told them that, in September last year, the Man From Nowhere star uploaded a cryptic post on her private page where she reflected on her drunk-driving incident and thanked those who had helped her.
The full message reads: "When I die, please capture this and post it. These are the people who saved me.
"And to those who left me when I was at my lowest, I hope you reflect on what you have taken from me. I did a breathalyser test, but it came out negative, and the blood test showed a high result, but it was from the day before. There was never a blackout. Still, I fully compensated the victims. Anyway, I won't be in pain anymore."
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At the time of her death in February this year at the age of 24, Kim Sae-ron's career had been on a decline as a result of a drink-driving incident in May 2022, which saw her crashing into a transformer and other structures in the Gangnam district of Seoul, South Korea.
It was previously reported that her former agency Gold Medalist had initially covered the 700 million won (US$480,000) compensation to affected parties but later demanded that she repay the amount.
According to the acquaintance who spoke with SBS Entertainment News, Kim "worked nonstop" in multiple places like cafes, flower shops and bars but was still "under a lot of financial stress and anxiety".
Although the list of people who were named in Kim's Instagram message was not mentioned by SBS Entertainment News, the outlet stated that two members of a famous idol group and a singer had each lent Kim about 100 million won.
SBS Entertainment News added that an actor and an actor-singer lent Kim an undisclosed sum of money, while another singer lent Kim a total of 20 million won.
Kim Sae-ron had also borrowed 50 million won from another acquaintance for her home rental deposit.
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Kim Sae-ron was found dead in her home on Feb 16 – the same day as the birthday of her former boyfriend, actor Kim Soo-hyun. The police later ruled her death a suicide.
Kim Soo-hyun has since been facing backlash after it was reported that the two had been in a relationship, which allegedly started when she was 15 and he was 27.
Kim Soo-hyun has denied these claims, saying in a press conference: "I did not date the deceased when she was a minor. And it is also not true that the deceased made a tragic choice because of me turning a blind eye."
