The tragic passing of South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron this week has unleashed an ocean of sorrow and sparked fervent calls for a reevaluation of how celebrities in the nation are treated within the public sphere and on social media platforms, a landscape that critics contend nurtures a climate conducive to harassment. The 24-year-old, who embarked on her acting journey as a child prodigy and garnered accolades for her roles in numerous domestic films, notably the gripping 2010 crime thriller "The Man from Nowhere," was discovered deceased by a friend at her Seoul residence on Sunday. The National Police Agency has affirmed that foul play is not suspected, and no suicide note was found.
Kim, once a shining star in South Korea's vibrant film and television landscape, faced an uphill battle in securing work opportunities following a 2022 incident involving drunk driving, for which she was subsequently fined by the court. South Korea is infamously harsh in its online commentary towards celebrities who stumble, particularly female figures, and Kim bore the brunt of relentless negative media coverage that capitalized on public sentiment.
Newspapers and websites relentlessly criticized her for activities as benign as socializing with friends, voicing frustrations over her dwindling work prospects, and enduring vile social media comments. She was even scrutinized for smiling during the filming of an independent movie last year.
In the aftermath of Kim's demise, several prominent South Korean newspapers published editorials and op-eds on Tuesday, lambasting the virulent online vitriol directed at the actress. Some invocations were made to the tragic deaths of K-Pop singers Seol-li and Goo Hara in 2019, as well as the recent passing of "Squid Games" actor Lee Sun-kyun in 2023, while urging a shift away from the country's "harsh, zero-tolerance" attitude towards celebrities.
The Hankook Ilbo newspaper decried the role of media outlets in perpetuating the issue, expressing dismay that some continued to exploit Kim for clicks even after her passing, employing provocative headlines that underscored her past struggles. Meanwhile, the Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media criticized news organizations on Tuesday for scapegoating social media without acknowledging their own contributions to "sensational and provocative reporting."
Born in 2000, Kim embarked on her acting career at the tender age of nine with the 2009 film "A Brand New Life," portraying a girl's arduous journey of adaptation after being abandoned at an orphanage by her father. She soared to fame with "The Man from Nowhere," which emerged as one of the year's biggest blockbusters in South Korean cinema and earned her a domestic acting award. She featured prominently in various films and TV series until the 2022 drunk driving incident.
Kim's former management agency, Gold Medalist, did not promptly respond to requests for comment.
