On March 14, 2025, Gold Medalist released a statement to address the late actress Kim Sae Ron‘s debts to the company.
Gold Medalist Claims They Never Pressured Kim Sae Ron To Repay Debts In Lengthy Statement
They also further explained the situation between her and actor Kim Soo Hyun, and the text she sent him. Previously, Korean media had released a text she sent to him, begging him for leniency. According to Gold Medalist’s statement, he was completely uninvolved in the issue of her debt.
At the beginning of 2024, during an accounting audit, the agency had to decide how to handle its claims against Kim Sae Ron. Legal and accounting firms advised that if the agency wrote off the debt without any collection efforts, it could be seen as an unjustified exemption, potentially harming the company and leading to legal issues for its executives. Therefore, it was necessary to demonstrate that she was in a state of “unrecoverable” financial distress.
To establish this, the agency sent a formal notice to her. This was not an attempt to pressure her for repayment but a procedural step to confirm that the debt was officially being written off. Additionally, if her debt was forgiven, there was a risk that she would have to pay a gift tax on the amount waived. The message she sent to Kim Soo Hyun on March 19, 2024, regarding her financial situation must be understood in this context.
The financial dispute was strictly between Gold Medalist and Kim Sae Ron. The notion that Kim Soo Hyun personally lent her money or pressured her for repayment is baseless. He never loaned her any money, nor did he demand repayment, as he was never in such a position.
— Gold Medalist
They explained that the agency advised him to ignore her text messages and that they would handle the matter instead.
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 advised him that since she might not have had full legal understanding of the issue, he should avoid responding without expert consultation. The agency reassured him that they would handle the matter professionally to prevent misunderstandings.
Later, on March 26, 2024, her legal representative expressed appreciation for the agency’s past support and acknowledged her responsibility to settle the damages. She proposed discussions to confirm the exact amount she owed and plan a repayment strategy. As a result, the financial dispute between Gold Medalist and Kim Sae Ron was resolved, and the agency never demanded repayment after writing off the debt.
From her perspective, it is likely that she believed she was completely freed from her financial obligations to Gold Medalist. 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 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.
— Gold Medalist
Previously, it was claimed that Kim Soo Hyun had been involved in the matter of her debt with Gold Medalist. You can read more about it below.
Korean Media Reveals Kim Sae Ron’s Text Message To Kim Soo Hyun In 2024