K-netizens react to claims that late actress Kim Sae Ron was married and living in New York

March 19, 2025 – Korean netizens are shocked by claims that late actress Kim Sae Ron was secretly married and living in New York with her husband before her death. 

The revelation surfaced after YouTuber Lee Jin Ho released a leaked audio recording involving Kim and an agency official.

In the recording, Kim allegedly admitted to marrying her boyfriend after becoming pregnant, though she later had an abortion. She also claimed that her boyfriend controlled her social media accounts and pressured her to announce their marriage publicly.

Lee Jin Ho further claimed that Kim’s family was aware of the marriage and even provided data from her phone to another YouTube channel. He also alleged that actor Kim Soo Hyun influenced Kim’s decision to switch to Telegram for communication.

The leaked recording and Lee’s statements sparked intense backlash. Netizens questioned the authenticity of the recording and criticized Lee for exposing sensitive details after Kim’s death. Some accused him of exploiting the situation for views and attention.

Online comments reflected public outrage:

"Who provided the recording? I’m curious."

"Is becoming the next Kim Yong Ho his dream...? I'm going to report him."

"I'm also curious if the recording is real. They say it's Saeron’s voice? I listened to it, but if it's real, he should reveal who gave it to him—Lee Jin Ho."

"That guy and KSH will surely face divine punishment. They're truly vicious."

"I thought he was a sneaky piece of trash, but turns out he's just a stupid one."

"The only thing I can do is report him, so I went ahead and reported the video. There’s no devil worse than him."

"He seems like a psychopath. Truly malicious."

"Where the hell did he get that from? It’s horrifying..."

"I felt like throwing up watching that video. But at least, compared to the past, public awareness seems to have improved a little. I hope those who did wrong take responsibility and apologize, so the deceased can rest a little more peacefully."

"He is truly evil. How can a human be like this? It’s so disgusting and repulsive. I don’t even want to hold back on throwing insults at him."

"Saeron didn’t seem to have a single good adult around her. That’s just heartbreaking."

As the controversy grows, Lee Jin Ho and Kim’s family have yet to respond to the mounting public criticism. The situation continues to raise serious questions about privacy, media ethics, and the exploitation of public figures after their death.