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On Friday, March 14, Gold Medalist, the agency of Kim Soo-hyun, released a statement in response to the dating exposé released by Garosero Research Institute. In the statement, the agency explained that they never pressured Kim Sae-ron to pay back the debt of 700 million, which the agency covered on behalf of Kim Sae-ron during her DUI incident in 2022.
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The agency stated that the request was a procedural step where they sent a formal notice to the actress to avoid legal issues and further harm to Gold Medalist's financial stability. Additionally, they also expressed that this financial dispute was strictly between Gold Medalist and Kim Sae-ron, and the involvement of Kim Soo-hyun, as alleged by Garosero Research Institute, was not true.
Here's part of the statement released by Gold Medalist regarding the same:
"Therefore, the debt issue of Kim Sae-ron was a problem between the gold medalist and Kim Sae-ron. It is speculation that Kim Soo-hyun personally lent money to Kim Sae-ron or tried to get it back suddenly. Kim Soo-hyun never lent money to Kim Sae-ron, never demanded repayment, and was not in a position to do so."
Gold Medalist explains the financial dispute with Kim Sae-ron, denies Kim Soo-hyun's involvement in the controversy
Gold Medalist explained that there was an accounting audit at the beginning of 2024, and they had to handle the expenses they had used to pay Kim Sae-ron's compensation money for her DUI case in 2022, which amounted to 700 million won. They also expressed that their intention was not to pressure her to return the money but to only prove that she was not in a position to pay the amount back.
Once they were able to get this confirmation from Kim Sae-ron, they wanted to close the expense by demonstrating that she was in unrecoverable financial distress. Moreover, they couldn't waive the debt off Kim Sae-ron as she would be required to pay a gift tax for the same. They also further explained why Kim Soo-hyun was not responsive to Kim Sae-ron when she reached out to him.
“At the time, she had left the agency and lacked sufficient legal knowledge regarding her debt. This led her to reach out to Kim Soo Hyun, who was not involved in the matter. By then, the two had been separated for four years. Upon receiving her message, he inquired about the situation with Gold Medalist."
The agency continued to state that they reassured the actor that they would handle the issue and make sure that Kim Sae-ron had a full legal understanding of the issue. The statement continued to express that in March 2024, Sae-ron's legal representative appreciated Gold Medalist's support and responsibilities in managing her damages during the DUI incident.
At this point, the two parties concluded and agreed on a repayment strategy. The agency also expressed that they never asked the actress to repay the money. Additionally, they also believe Kim Sae-ron might've understood that she was completely free from her financial obligations to Gold Medalist. Here's what they explained about it:
"Therefore, linking her passing, which occurred a year later, to this financial matter is an extreme and unfounded speculation. Gold Medalist made every effort to support her, even foregoing repayment while ensuring she would not incur additional tax liabilities."
The statement continued,
"The agency also set the interest and late fees on the debt at 0%. The suggestion that this process was an attempt to pressure her for repayment is a deliberate distortion of the facts. To falsely portray this as the cause of her passing a year later is deeply distressing and malicious.”
For further context, on March 11, Garosero Research Institute released a YouTube report alleging that Gold Medalist and Kim Soo-hyun pressured Kim Sae-ron into paying back the debt of 700 million KRW urgently. Due to this, the actress, unable to handle the finances, took her own life on February 16, 2025, which was Kim Soo-hyun's birthday.
