Kim Sae-ron’s passing has sparked outcry among fans over gender-based double standards in the Korean entertainment industry.
On February 16, Yonhap New Agency reported that the Bloodhound actress, aged 24, was found dead at her home by her friend, who then called the local police.
While there is no update on Kim Sae-ron’s cause of death, the police have stated that no signs of foul play were found.
It is pertinent to mention that in May 2022, the Mirror of the Witch actress got herself involved in a DUI crash, which resulted in a $14,000 fine for which she had to take odd part-time jobs.
Even though Kim Sae-ron publicly apologized for the accident, she received immense backlash from the public and the Korean entertainment industry, forcing her to step back from her acting career.
However, now, after the death of the A Brand New Life actress, debates about gender bias in the Korean showbiz have reignited.
Several of the social media users have expressed outrage and have pointed out that while the industry open-heartedly accept the male celebrities even after they are accused of abuse, sexual assault and violent crimes, Sae-ron had to go through such hardship and backlash despite accepting her mistake and taking responsibility for her actions.
“Korea, indeed, is a scary country,” a social media user wrote on Instagram, while another stated, “They finally pushed a person here.”
A third expressed, “It's a truckload of celebrities who are doing well even if they're drunk driving or committing a crime... Too young but too bad.”
“A child actress who was mistreated by her mom and later by the whole industry taking her life after making multiple attempts to move on with her life and still faced relentless bullying from ppl who turn around and support sexual abusers, South Korea really is hell for women,” one more stated.
Expressing their rage, a fifth wrote, “Kim saeron faced hell for her scandal but men do worse but still get movie deals, comeback stages, and public sympathy. the double standards in this industry are disgusting.”
Kim Sae-ron was famous for her roles in Bloodhound (2023), The Man from Nowhere (2010), Mirror of the Witch (2016), A Girl at My Door (2014) and The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim (2021).
