Kim Soo Hyun’s net worth is up to 117 million USD, but to achieve today’s success, the actor had a difficult childhood.

(Screenshot).

“At first, the family thought the two were colleagues. Because of the large age gap, no one thought they were in love. It was only when they discovered the letters and postcards that the family was shocked. Kim Soo Hyun was the one pursuing her. When we found out, it was too late,” the actress’s aunt said. 

Kim Sae Ron’s aunt added, “The two of them talked about marriage. It happened when Sae Ron was no longer a minor. She was probably in her early 20s.” The couple broke up when Kim Sae Ron turned 21. 

At the time the two met, Kim Sae Ron was already a famous child star in Korea. She had attended the Cannes Film Festival in France and was considered an “acting genius” by the Korean media.

However, Kim Sae Ron refused all invitations from major entertainment companies in Korea to join her boyfriend Gold Medalist’s company, developing and building the company with him. 

Kim Sae Ron’s aunt believes that her niece’s boyfriend is hindering her career. “Many companies are looking for her, but unfortunately, Kim Sae Ron’s career path is hindered by her boyfriend,” she recalled. 

Kim Sae Ron’s family said they tried to prevent the relationship between the two artists but were unsuccessful (Screenshot).

She also believes that her niece is being psychologically manipulated and only listens to her boyfriend. Since joining Kim Soo Hyun’s company, the 2000-born actress’s career has barely made any significant progress. 

During the period 2019-2022, Kim Sae Ron rarely acted in films or participated in unpopular projects. Compared to the child actors of the same generation, Kim Sae Ron has a rather modest career in adulthood.

In messages sent to friends, the actress revealed that she often does unpaid work such as training a new generation of actors at her boyfriend’s company. 

In 2022, the drunk driving scandal and serious traffic accident officially ended the brilliant career of the actress born in 2000. She was banned from television, suffered a boycott from the audience and had to work as a waitress at restaurants to earn extra income. 

Kim Sae Ron’s relatives said she refused invitations from entertainment companies because she wanted to accompany her boyfriend in developing his career (Photo: Getty Images).

In addition, the debt of nearly 700 million won (more than 12 billion VND) with Gold Medalist Company also made the actress “unable to sleep”. At the 2022 trial, the Gen Z actress appeared with a haggard face. 

According to Korean media, the nearly 700 million won compensation that Kim Sae Ron had to pay to Kim Soo Hyun’s company was actually a penalty for breach of contract related to the TV series Hunting Dogs .

In Hunting Dogs, Kim Sae Ron was cast as the lead role, but due to the actress’s personal scandal, Sae Ron’s screen time was reduced when the film was released in June 2023.

According to Hankook, the amount of money the producer of the movie Hunting Dogs asked Kim Sae Ron to pay was initially 7 billion won (nearly 123 billion VND), but the actress knelt down and asked to reduce it to nearly 700 million won. 

According to the agreement between Gold Medalist and Kim Sae Ron on November 22, 2022, the remaining compensation amount is 668.64 million won (11.7 billion VND). The company asked the late actress to pay by December 31, 2023 and agreed to let Gold Medalist handle the sale of her Range Rover Defender.

Then, on March 15, 2024, Gold Medalist hired the law firm LKB & Partners as its legal representative and sent a notice demanding Kim Sae Ron to pay 686.64 million won. LKB & Partners requested Kim Sae Ron to transfer the entire amount to her account as soon as possible.

They told the actress, “If the loan amount is not transferred, our client will take civil and criminal legal measures.” This message made Kim Sae Ron extremely worried. 

She sent a message to Kim Soo Hyun on March 24, 2024, saying, “I received the notice. They said they would sue me. They said they would give me enough time, so I’m working hard to prepare for my comeback and will pay back little by little with each work. 

It’s not that I don’t want to pay, it’s that I really can’t pay 700 million won right now. It’s not that I won’t do it, it’s that I can’t do it, is there a need to sue? Please save me. I beg you. Please give me time.”

Dispatch news agency revealed that Kim Soo Hyun sent Kim Sae Ron’s messages to him to news agencies (Photo: Dispatch).

According to Korean media, Kim Soo Hyun did not reply to his ex-girlfriend’s messages.

According to Dispatch, the actor took a photo of Kim Sae Ron’s text message with her phone number uncovered and sent it to several reporters and YouTubers. This caused the actress and her family to be terrorized by the media afterwards. 

According to the person claiming to be the actress’s late aunt, Kim Soo Hyun’s actions completely devastated Kim Sae Ron. 

She said in a live broadcast on the Garo Sero Institute YouTube channel: “Kim Sae Ron trusted Kim Soo Hyun very much. In her most desperate moment, she sought help from him, but he pushed her into a deeper pit of despair. Sae Ron was deeply shocked and heartbroken because she could not believe that Kim Soo Hyun could be so cruel.”

The information published by Dispatch news agency and Garo Sero Institute YouTube channel on March 12 caused public outrage and a wave of boycott against actor Kim rose.

In 3 days, Kim Soo Hyun’s Instagram followers dropped by nearly 1 million. Brands also took strong action, temporarily hiding or deleting images related to brand ambassador Kim Soo Hyun. 

The actor also announced his absence from the recording of the reality TV show Good Day on March 13. In the latest announcement, Kim Soo Hyun’s management company promised to make an official and specific announcement about all issues next week.