Actor Kim Sae-ron has died. He was 25.
The Seongdong Police Station in Seoul said it received a report that Kim Sae-ron died at his home at 4:54 p.m. on the 16th and then went to the scene to confirm the death. The reporter was confirmed to be an acquaintance who had promised to meet with Kim Sae-ron.
Police evacuated Kim Sae-ron to the hospital, but he died and was already in cardiac arrest at the time of discovery.
A police official said, "No criminal charges have been found, including traces of external intrusion, but we are continuing to investigate the details of the death."
According to the Daily, Kim Sae-ron recently changed his name to "Kim I-im" and was trying to make a fresh start. Based on the words of Kim Sae-ron's acquaintances, the media said, "Kim Sae-ron prepared to open a cafe with his acquaintances and return to the entertainment industry."
Kim Sae-ron, who debuted as a model for the magazine "Enfang" in 2001, started acting in 2009 with the movie "Traveler" and made his name public through the 2010 movie "The Man from Nowhere." Since then, he has appeared in several works, including "The Neighbor," "Manhole," "Doheeya," "Snow Path," and "The Neighborhood."
Kim Sae-ron, who has been actively engaged in acting and entertainment, was on the cutting board in 2022 due to a drunk driving accident. At that time, Kim Sae-ron drove near Hakdong Intersection in Gangnam-gu, Seoul after drinking and crashed into a guardrail and a transformer on the side of the road. Although the police's breathalyzer tested positive, he refused to measure the blood alcohol level of the police and collected blood at a nearby hospital.
According to the National Forensic Service's blood sampling analysis, Kim Sae-ron's blood alcohol concentration at the time of the accident was about 0.2%. He was intoxicated well above the 0.08% standard for revoking his license.
Eventually, Kim Sae-ron was sent to the prosecution and was fined 20 million won in May 2023 through trial. As a result, Kim Sae-ron stopped working in the entertainment industry as well as the dramas he was starring in. At that time, the agency's Golden Medalist positioned that Kim Sae-ron was deeply reflecting on his obvious wrongdoing.
Since then, Kim Sae-ron has sought to return as an actor for the first time in two years through the play "Dongchimi," but he suffered due to strong negative public opinion. Eventually he dropped out of the play for health reasons.
Kim Sae-ron finished filming the movie "The Guitar Man" in November last year and was preparing to return to the movie.
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