AKMU siblings Lee Chan Hyuk and Lee Su Hyun recently paid their final respects to actress Kim Sae Ron, renewing attention to their special bond.
On Monday, the siblings visited Kim Sae Ron’s memorial in Room 7 of the Seoul Asan Medical Center’s funeral home in the Songpa District of Seoul to honor her.
This visit has reignited public interest in the unique friendship that Lee Su Hyun shared with Kim Sae Ron during their lives.
In a 2021 episode of the JTBC variety show Long Live Independence, Kim Sae Ron and actress Kim Bo Ra visited Lee Su Hyun’s home. At the time, Lee Su Hyun shared that she had been friends with Kim Sae Ron and Kim Bo Ra for about four to five years. She mentioned, “We even share our house passwords in our group chat,” adding, “We’ve never fought and always gotten along.”
Given their close friendship, it’s been reported that Lee Su Hyun rushed to Kim Sae Ron’s funeral as soon as she learned of the news and has been vigil there.
On Sunday afternoon, Kim Sae Ron was found deceased at her home in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District. The first person to discover her was a friend who had planned to meet with her that day. Police have confirmed that there were no signs of foul play or external intrusion, and no suicide note was found at the scene.
Following the memorial’s setting on Monday, actor Won Bin, who starred alongside Kim Sae Ron in The Man From Nowhere, visited the memorial to pay his respects. He was accompanied by his wife, fellow actress Lee Na Young. Other notable figures, including Han So Hee and Kim Bo Ra, also paid their respects at the funeral.
Born in July 2000, Kim Sae Ron began her career as a model for magazine covers when she was just an infant in 2001. She gained widespread attention with her role in the 2009 film A Brand New Life, which was also featured at the Cannes International Film Festival, making it the youngest film to be showcased there. She later starred in the 2010 hit film The Man from Nowhere alongside Won Bin.
Kim Sae Ron continued to build her career by playing roles in films like The Neighbor, A Girl at My Door, The Villagers, and the drama Secret Healer. However, in May 2022, she found herself at the center of a scandal when she was arrested for drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident. A blood test showed her blood alcohol content was around 0.2%, a level that would result in a revoked license. Kim Sae Ron later posted a handwritten apology on Instagram, expressing her deep regret for her actions.
Following this incident, she parted ways with her agency, Gold Medalist, when her contract expired, leaving her future in the entertainment industry uncertain. Since then, she has stayed out of the public eye, taking time for self-reflection without significantly involving herself in entertainment activities.
