On the afternoon of March 17, in front of the Seoul Police Department, Mr. Kwon – the director of the Korean Entertainment Suicide Prevention Association and the representative of Kim Sae Ron’s family, made shocking statements about the late actress being threatened when her photo with Kim Soo Hyun was released . Specifically, this person said that Kim Sae Ron tried to contact Gold Medalist about the debt payment but Kim Soo Hyun did not allow her to contact him.
In addition, both the CEO and the manager did not allow her to contact the actors in the company, causing Kim Sae Ron to be isolated. Because of this, Kim Sae Ron posted a photo of her cheek to cheek with Kim Soo Hyun and received a call a few minutes later. Mr. Kwon said that the second debt collection letter was sent the next day (March 25, 2024) with the threatening content: “If you post such photos on SNS again in the future, if you contact anyone in the management company, or if the movie Queen of Tears is damaged because of such photos,… you will have to bear the entire amount.”
Kim Sae Ron’s representative at the press conference
Kim Sae Ron’s family representative repeatedly emphasized that Kim Soo Hyun’s side had threatened and forced Kim Sae Ron to pay damages for the movie Queen of Tears, causing Kim Sae Ron to fall into a serious crisis, leading to negative thoughts afterwards. This statement made Kim Soo Hyun suspected of lying about only sending the first official letter to legitimize Kim Sae Ron’s debt cancellation.
The cheek-to-cheek photo that Kim Sae Ron posted
Amidst the wave of harsh criticism, Kim Soo Hyun’s side recently released the full text of the second letter from the law firm LKB to Kim Sae Ron. The letter was sent on March 25, 2024 and the content of the letter did not contain any serious threats, but only asked Kim Sae Ron not to post similar images. The reason is because it would affect not only Kim Soo Hyun but also many other people in the Queen of Tears crew, including the film’s producer, actors, crew members, television stations, OTT platforms, and many other related parties.
The company also believes that Kim Sae Ron’s actions could even lead to serious legal problems for the drama that Kim Soo Hyun was participating in at that time, as well as greatly affecting the business operations of the licensing company and related parties. It can be seen in this black and white document that there is no element of blackmail, threats, or forcing Kim Sae Ron to take responsibility for damages as Mr. Kwon stated before the press conference.
The letter that Kim Soo Hyun sent to Kim Sae Ron was not threatening at all.
Specifically, the LKB dispatch sent to Kim Sae Ron
Issues relating to debt obligations and notification of measures relating to business operations
Our law firm, as the legal representative of the Authorized Company, sent an official document on March 15, 2024 to request settlement of the debt arising under the consumer loan contract in the amount of 686,409,653 KRW (hereinafter referred to as “the debt of this case”).
The reason we are asking you to pay this debt is because you have not fulfilled your obligation to pay the loan even though it is due. If this situation continues, there is a possibility that the management of the authorized company will be held legally responsible for breach of trust.
However, the trustee company is aware of the difficulties you may have in paying your debts. Therefore, we are willing to discuss suitable payment methods and timing. Please propose a feasible payment schedule to our law firm.
The settlement of this debt is the responsibility of the proxy company and does not involve the company’s employees or actors. Therefore, we respectfully request that you do not contact the proxy company’s employees or actors directly regarding this matter.
In addition, in the early morning of March 24, 2024, we discovered that the image of the actor from the authorized company was posted on your SNS.
However, since the actor in question is currently starring in a currently airing TV series, your actions will not only affect the actor and the casting company, but may also impact the production company, other actors, crew members, broadcasters, OTT platforms, and many other parties involved. This may even lead to serious legal issues.
Therefore, similar to the behavior on March 24, 2024, we respectfully request that you refrain from actions that may have a significant impact on the business operations of the authorized company and its related parties.
March 25, 2024
LKB & Partners Law Firm (Limited)
Immediately after this document was published, public opinion immediately changed direction, questioning Kim Sae Ron’s representative about where the evidence of Kim Soo Hyun’s threatening attitude, demanding compensation, and pressuring was. Many people even thought that Kim Sae Ron’s representative was deliberately trying to defame Kim Soo Hyun with unsubstantiated arguments. Netizens also asked Kim Sae Ron’s side to focus on proving whether Kim Soo Hyun was “grooming” or not, not on other stories, to quickly end this series of scandals.
