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Kim Soo-hyun's agency denies legal papers were a threat but offered Kim Sae-ron time to pay debt

Published: 18 Mar. 2025, 16:40 Updated: 19 Mar. 2025, 18:43

YOON SO-YEON
[email protected]

Actor Kim Soo-hyun on July 31, 2024 [NEWS1]

The second set of papers sent to Kim Sae-ron was not meant to pressure her but rather offered her an extended window of time to pay her debt, Kim Soo-hyun's agency Gold Medalist said Tuesday in rebuttal of a press conference held a day earlier by the late actor's family lawyer.

The attorney for the late actor's family, Bu Ji-seok of Law Firm Buyou, claimed during Monday's press conference that Gold Medalist had sent two sets of papers that pressured Kim Sae-ron to pay her 700 million won ($482,547) debt to the agency. The second set of papers even contained threats that the agency would press charges if she tried to talk to other actors at Gold Medalist or post pictures of them, according to Bu.

"We never forced Kim Sae-ron to pay her debt," the agency said in a press release on Tuesday.

"Kim Sae-ron had been struggling financially and we determined that she was no longer able to repay her debt, and so we processed the amount [700 million won] as a company loss in December 2023. This can be verified in our audit files from April 1, 2024."

The second set of papers sent by Gold Medalist to late actor Kim Sae-ron on March 25, 2024 [GOLD MEDALIST]

The only reason that the company sent the papers to Kim Sae-ron was to follow legal requirements, and the company offered to negotiate the date and method of repayment, according to the statement.

The company also explained that it never threatened her about talking to other actors, but only stopped her from talking to the Gold Medalist actors "about this debt."

"She did, in fact, call the other actors at her own will," the agency said.

A rebuttal of YouTube channel Hoverlab, which argued that a picture of Kim Sae-ron entering an apartment with a man when she was a minor, top left, is not of Kim Soo-hyun [GOLD MEDALIST]

A wreath sent to late actor Kim Sae-ron's funeral by Kim Soo-hyun's agency Gold Medalist

On Monday evening, YouTube channel Hoverlab revealed a picture uploaded to a Kim Sae-ron fan account claiming to show Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron, when the latter was a minor, going into an apartment together. Gold Medalist refuted the claim with a detailed denial of the picture.

"Hoverlab and Kim Sae-ron's family continues to argue false facts," the agency said. "For instance, we did pay our respects at her funeral, and the picture uploaded by a Kim Sae-ron's fan is not of Kim Soo-hyun but somebody else. We sincerely ask that they halt their efforts to defame Kim Soo-hyun with pictures and posts irrelevant to the case."

On Monday, Hoverlab founder Kim Se-ui threatened to disclose more pictures of Kim Soo-hyun, with attorney Bu saying that the family will take legal measures against him. Both claim that the family demands nothing but an official apology from Kim Soo-hyun.

BY YOON SO-YEON [[email protected]]