This article is part of our coverage of Kim Soo Hyun And Kim Sae Ron’s Relationship. You can read more and view the entire timeline here.
One year after the late actress Kim Sae Ron posted a controversial photo of herself with Kim Soo Hyun, her aunt released a scathing exposé that blamed Kim Soo Hyun for the actress’s death, and more. According to Kim Sae Ron’s aunt–a close friend of the family–Kim Soo Hyun began a six-year relationship with Kim Sae Ron when he was 27 and she was 15.
Since the exposé, public sentiment has shifted. When Kim Sae Ron posted her selfie with Kim Soo Hyun in 2024, she was met with intense criticism and accused of stretching the truth, while netizens fiercely defended Kim Soo Hyun and accused Kim Sae Ron of trying to ruin his career. The photo reveal happened while Kim Soo Hyun’s popular K-Drama Queen of Tears was airing.
During this time, several insiders spoke out about the controversy. Following GOLD MEDALIST‘s first official statement about the selfie, an exclusive from OSEN reported that an insider—mutual to both celebrities involved—denied that the stars were dating. According to the aunt, the two allegedly dated from 2015 to 2021.
The photo that was uploaded and then deleted early morning on March 24 is not current and not recent. Also, [Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron] are not dating. They’re not in a romantic relationship.
— Insider via OSEN
On March 25, 2025, Kim Sae Ron’s acquaintance spoke with Star News. They told the news outlet that Kim Sae Ron had been having a difficult time and that there was a “complicated story” Kim Sae Ron couldn’t talk about.
Kim Sae Ron is going through a hard time. It seems there is a complicated story (in regard to the photo) that she can’t talk about. She’s mulling over what to reveal in her statement.
— Kim Sae Ron’s acquaintance
The next day, YouTube reporter Lee Jin Ho relayed a conversation that he had with Kim Sae Ron’s acquaintance. This insider called the actress “unstable and impulsive,” telling the reporter that they “couldn’t understand why” Kim Sae Ron uploaded the photo. In their opinion, Kim Sae Ron might have been trying to “flex” her “past popularity.”
Kim Sae Ron uploaded the photo while being unstable and impulsive. She currently acknowledges that her actions were wrong, and her acquaintance who revealed this to me also said they couldn’t understand why the actress uploaded the photo…
According to her acquaintances, they felt Kim Sae Ron may have uploaded the photo to flex her popularity in the past.
— Lee Jin Ho
“Kim Sae Ron is currently canceled due to her own actions,” Lee Jin Ho said, sharing his own thoughts on the matter. “Kim Soo Hyun, on the other hand, who was in the same agency as her, is currently reaching new career heights. Because of this, I feel Kim Sae Ron uploaded the photos to show off.”
This sentiment mirrored that of many netizens at the time, who sided with Kim Soo Hyun.
