Kim Sae-ron: Death of 24-year-old South Korean actor...

Kim Sae-ron’s death has triggered an outpouring of grief and calls for changes to the way celebrities are treated. The death of South Korean actor Kim Sae-ron at 24 has sparked widespread mourning and ignited a debate about the intense public scrutiny faced by celebrities in the country, particularly online. Kim, a celebrated child actor known for her role in the 2010 film "The Man from Nowhere," was found dead in her Seoul home on Sunday by a friend. Police have ruled out foul play and confirmed that Kim left no note.

Kim's death follows a period of professional difficulty after a 2022 drunk driving incident, for which she received a court fine. The incident led to a relentless wave of online negativity and media criticism, exacerbating her struggles to secure acting roles. South Korea's online environment is known for its harsh treatment of celebrities, especially women, who deviate from perceived norms. Kim was frequently targeted by news outlets that amplified public sentiment, facing criticism for socialising with friends, expressing frustration over her lack of work, and even for smiling during the filming of an independent movie last year.

Her death has now prompted calls for greater sensitivity and a reassessment of the pressures faced by public figures in South Korea's unforgiving media landscape. Following Kim’s death, several of the country’s major newspapers on Tuesday published editorials and opinion pieces lambasting the toxic online comments about the actor. Some invoked the 2019 deaths of K-Pop singers Seol-li and Goo Hara and the 2023 death of “Squid Games” actor Lee Sun-kyun while calling for a change in the “harsh, zero-tolerance” culture toward celebrities.

The Hankook Ilbo newspaper said the country's media outlets were part of the problem, lamenting that some outlets continued to exploit Kim for clicks even after her death, using provocative headlines that highlighted her past struggles. The watchdog Citizens’ Coalition for Democratic Media on Tuesday criticised news organisations for blaming social media without considering their own “sensational and provocative reporting.".

Born in 2000, Kim began her acting career at age 9, with the 2009 film “A Brand New Life,” portraying a girl’s struggles to adjust to a new life after being left at an orphanage by her father. She rose to stardom with “The Man from Nowhere,” which was one of the biggest hits in the South Korean movie scene that year and won her a domestic acting award. She starred in various movies and TV shows before the 2022 drunk driving incident.