“Makes sense why Wonbin decided to leave the industry” — Fans react as actor’s good deeds emerge amid Kim Soo-hyun's controversy

On March 13, 2025, Won Bin made headlines for his thoughtful gestures towards the late South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron amidst Kim Soo-hyun's scandal. Top Star News reported that a netizen commented under Garosero's YouTube livestream that Won Bin attempted to settle Kim Sae-ron's 700 million KRW debt with Gold Medalist.

These claims came to light after Garosero accused Queen of Tears actor Kim Soo-hyun of dating Kim Sae-ron from 2015 to 2022, when she was 15 and he was 27. The allegations intensified after Sae-ron's aunt told Garosero host, Kim Se-ui, that they have 200 photos of Kim Soo-hyun and Sae-ron to prove that they dated for six years when Sae-ron was underaged.

In 2022, Kim Sae-ron was indicted for a drunk driving case, where she was ordered by the court to pay 700 million won (approx. $481,138) in damages.

Gold Medalist took care of the damages at the time. However, the agency sent a debt settlement notice to the late actress to pay back the money. Reportedly, Won Bin offered to secretly pay off her debt, but actor Kim Soo-hyun allegedly declined the offer. Notably, this claim is yet to be verified.

Furthermore, on March 13, according to TV Report, Won Bin allegedly quit smoking while filming for The Man from Nowhere. The movie was released in 2010 and starred Won Bin and 10-year-old Kim Sae-ron. For Sae-ron's health and safety, the actor quit smoking and maintained it even after filming ended.

On February 16, 2025, Kim Sae-ron died by s*icide. Her funeral was held on February 18. The Hindu reported that Won Bin attended her funeral to pay his respects. Reportedly, Won Bin left the entertainment industry following the release of The Man from Nowhere in 2010.

As these reports went viral online, netizens praised Won Bin for his thoughtful gestures. An X user wrote:

"Now it makes sense why Wonbin decided to leave the industry and live a private and peaceful life, because he is aware of the dark side of this industry, plus the amount of trashy demons protected in it"

Fans reacted to the rumors of Won Bin allegedly trying to pay off the late actress's debt.

"Wonbin offered to pay for the 700m won debt back for Saeron. but was rejected by KSH's side. Im so freaking devastated," a fan wrote.

"Won Bin really looked out after her like a real uncle," another user wrote.

"According to some reports won bin wanted to pay off all 700 million won debt of saeron but was constantly rejected by kim soohyun and his agency how much devasted he must have felt when he tried his best to do whatever he could that man just wanted to harass her thats it," another fan said.

Others highlighted that 700 million KRW is "a lot of money" and shows how much Won Bin cared for the actress.

"700 million won is a lot of money.. if he really was gonna help her out like that's really nice of him," a fan remarked.

"Wonbin worked with her only for one project during her childhood but showed up to her funeral looking so genuinely broken. the other guy who was in relationship with her for 6 years didn't even send a flower wrath. speaks volumes of their characters," another fan said.

"All korean men are the same, patriarchal. but won bin was willing to pay off saeron's 700 million krw debt, quit smoking while filming with saeron, bought saeron a computer, and made sure saeron was always safe," another fan added.

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Kim Soo-hyun's accused of dating Kim Sae-ron, her dispute with Gold Medalist, and more

In 2019, Kim Soo-hyun reportedly established Gold Medalist with his cousin, Lee Sarang. Kim Sae-ron signed with the agency the same year after leaving YG Entertainment.

She reportedly worked for free for Gold Medalist by training new talents to help Kim Soo-hyun's business. These claims were brought forward by Kim Sae-ron's aunt during her interview with Garosero.

The aunt stated that after the DUI incident, Sae-ron was under immense financial stress. The late actress tried to contact Kim Soo-hyun but failed.

On March 12, 2025, The Korea Times reported that Kim Sae-ron's mother issued a statement via Garosero's YouTube channel. In her statement, she wrote that she wanted to "restore" her daughter's image.

“Speaking again about a daughter who is no longer with me is painful, but I want to restore her name from the damage caused by false reports. I hope she is remembered as the respected actress she was, not as a tabloid figure.”

On March 12, Koreaboo reported that Kim Sae-ron's aunt revealed on Garosero's livestream that Kim Soo-hyun approached the late actress with romantic intentions. At the time, the Bloodhounds actress was a minor, aged 15.

"One day, before he went to the military, he kept contacting her. He also kept sending her photos of himself in the military. That’s when we thought something was weird and found out. We were very against it. [...] Sae Ron said she told him not to fool around with a young kid like her," the aunt revealed.

The aunt claimed that Sae-ron initially rejected Kim Soo-hyun's advances as she was half his age in 2015. However, Kim Soo-hyun allegedly persisted and promised to "take responsibility for her." The aunt said:

"He said things like he sincerely valued her, he was serious about her, things like that. He was totally serious when he said that to her. Of course she knew he was way older. She told him not to mess around with her, not to joke.[...] He talked about it as if he would take responsibility for her. That’s why she left YG Entertainment when her contract was ending."

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As of now, Gold Medalist refuted all allegations made so far against Kim Soo-hyun. The agency stated that they would directly address the issue via a press conference in the upcoming week. The company also warned to it would sue perpetrators trying to defame the actor.