Kim Soo-hyun's Agency Denies Forcing Debt Repayment; Claims Person in Late Kim Sae-ron's Photo Is Not Him

Actor Kim Soo-hyun's agency has refuted claims made by the family of the late actress Kim Sae-ron and the YouTube channel 'Hover Lab' that they sent a threatening second notice to Kim Sae-ron before her passing.

On the 18th, Kim Soo-hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, released the original second notice sent to the late Kim Sae-ron on March 25 of last year, stating, "We never forced Kim Sae-ron to repay her debt."

Gold Medalist explained, "We worked with Kim Sae-ron to resolve the compensation for the damages caused by her DUI incident, reducing the remaining compensation amount to approximately 700 million won. However, as Kim Sae-ron faced difficulties in her activities within the industry, we determined that she could no longer repay the debt and recorded a loss in December 2023." They further clarified, "The second notice was merely a legal procedure guide, expressing our willingness to discuss repayment methods and schedules."

Gold Medalist stated that after communicating with Kim Sae-ron's management at the time, the debt issue was resolved. "We did not pursue any further demands or negotiations regarding repayment, and we wrote off the entire debt owed by Kim Sae-ron shortly thereafter. This shows that we never intended to pressure the late actress into repaying the debt, and neither she nor her family attempted to repay it afterward," they explained.

They also addressed claims that they threatened Kim Sae-ron with compensation if she posted private photos on social media, contacted any of the agency's actors, or caused damage to the drama 'Queen of Tears,' in which Kim Soo-hyun was starring at the time.

Gold Medalist stated, "The creditor-debtor relationship between our company and Kim Sae-ron is entirely under the responsibility of our company. Kim Soo-hyun has no authority to comment on this matter. Therefore, we had to officially requested through the notice that she refrains from contacting Kim Soo-hyun regarding the debt." They explained that they advised Kim Sae-ron to communicate with the company's legal representatives instead of contacting employees or actors about debt-related matters.

They added, "In the notice, however, there was no mention of Kim Sae-ron having to pay damages if she contacted the agency's actors. She continued to freely communicate with them afterward," they claimed.

Regarding concerns about potential damage to 'Queen of Tears,' they explained, "When Kim Sae-ron posted a photo of her with Kim Soo-hyun on social media on March 24, Kim Soo-hyun's drama 'Queen of Tears' was airing. After she posted the photo at 2:14 a.m., over 50 articles were published by the time we released an official statement around 11 a.m. We needed to inform Kim Sae-ron that such unexpected actions could impact the drama's production team, cast, crew, broadcasters, and OTT platforms." They emphasized, "We did not pressure her regarding compensation."

In response to 'Hover Lab's claim that Kim Soo-hyun colluded with YouTuber A to spread false information about the late Kim Sae-ron, Gold Medalist stated, "We have no connection with YouTuber A. The 'former manager of Kim Sae-ron' mentioned by 'Hover Lab' is not under Gold Medalist but is under another company that worked with Kim Sae-ron."

Gold Medalist also addressed allegations that they defamed former agency actor Seo Ye-ji. They stated, "The claim that we defamed Seo Ye-ji is completely false. Even the manager who was in charge of Seo Ye-ji at the time (now resigned) contacted us, expressing disbelief at the rumor." They urged, "Please stop spreading false information based on anonymous tips."

Finally, Kim Soo-hyun's agency stated, "The family and 'Hover Lab' continue to make claims that are not true through press conferences and reports. For example, the family claimed we did not attend the late actress' funeral. However, we visited the funeral on February 17 and 19, 2025, met the family, and left a condolence wreath and money." 

They also responded to claims that Kim Soo-hyun dated Kim Sae-ron during her teenage years, which were based on a photo posted on a fan-run social media account on June 23, 2017. "The person in the photo is not Kim Soo-hyun but someone else," they said, releasing evidence photos.

Gold Medalist emphasized, "We ask that you stop attempting to tarnish Kim Soo-hyun's reputation based on photos and online posts unrelated to the incident."

Reporter Kang Sun-ae sakang@sbs.co.kr 

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)