Actress Kim Sae-ron (24 years old) died by suicide, according to multiple news agencies including The New York Times , The Korea Times and Yonhap News Agency , citing law enforcement sources .
“We believe she made an extreme choice and intended to treat it as a suicide,” police told reporters, according to the source.
Star Kim Sae-ron passes away by suicide
Kim was found dead at his home in Seongsu-dong, a neighborhood in eastern Seoul , South Korea, at around 5 p.m. local time on February 16, Yonhap reported, citing government sources.
Known for her childhood roles, Kim began her acting career at the age of nine, playing a young girl named Jinhee in the 2009 television series A Brand New Life. The film brought her worldwide acclaim .
She then went on to have another memorable role in the action thriller The Man from Nowhere , which established her as a rising star.
Some of the late actress’ other memorable roles include The Neighbor (2012), A Girl at My Door (2014), and the TV series Mirror of the Witch (2016).
Kim Sae-ron at Cannes Film Festival 2014
PHOTO: AFP
According to Yonhap , Kim gave up her acting career after being caught driving drunk in May 2022. The star crashed her car into a guardrail, trees and a transformer in southern Seoul, causing a temporary power outage in the area, the police agency said at the time. She was later fined the equivalent of $15,000 for the incident in April 2023.
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At that time, Kim tried to resume her career and return to the spotlight by starring in the play Dongchimi , but she faced opposition and was said to have dropped out due to health problems, according to Yonhap and Variety .
Her new role in Netflix’s action series Bloodhounds is set to air in June 2023. However, much of her screen time was cut following her 2022 crash and the controversy surrounding it, according to Variety . It was also her final film.
A friend who had planned to meet Kim Sae-ron found her dead at her home on February 16. Police told South Korean media that authorities “have not yet found any signs of a crime” and are investigating the circumstances that led to the star’s death.
