Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
As a part of GOLDMEDALIST releasing their statement on allegations of Kim Soo Hyun grooming and mistreating Kim Sae Ron, they called into question the validity of Kim Sae Ron’s “aunt” largely representing the family in the media. As a result, her mother recently commented on that, clarifying who the “aunt” is and why she’s speaking for them.
A is currently suffering from facial nerve paralysis due to stress following her daughter’s passing, making daily life difficult. Because of this, B, a person who has cared for Kim Sae-ron since birth, has been assisting A and representing the family in interviews.
B is the same person who was interviewed by the YouTube channel Garo Sero under the alias of “Kim Sae-ron’s aunt.” The relative who communicated with Kim Sae-ron regarding her statement in March last year is B’s biological daughter. The two families have been close for over 20 years, and Kim Sae-ron referred to B as “aunt.”
Right, who she is exactly doesn’t matter, what matters is whether the family is fine with the arrangement, and they are, so there goes that angle for them. Furthermore, her mother says GOLDMEDALIST knew who the “aunt” was already because she had met with the agency before to help Kim Sae Ron pick-up work-related stuff.
Aside from that, the mother recently stepped up to give an interview to Garo Sero Institute, where she restates the family’s goals and takes the media apparatus to task.
As we previously conveyed to “Garo Sero Institute,” our primary goal is to restore the honor of our child, whose life was destroyed in an instant by countless false reports. Additionally, we wish to establish a legal precedent to ensure that malicious YouTubers and cyber tabloids who engage in such criminal activities are held accountable.
They state that Kim Sae Ron never lied to the media, despite the press, cyberwreckers, and GOLDMEDALIST trying to paint her as a liar, and she also defended the family against what she claims has been slander towards them. They specifically name Lee Jin Ho as a culprit, and also mention the role of commenters.
This situation was nothing short of a nationwide public shaming, instigated by false reports from Lee Jin-ho. The media at the time made no effort to verify the truth. They didn’t even try. Instead, they simply spread Lee Jin-ho’s words, mocked and abandoned Sae-ron, and called that journalism. They collected their paychecks while perpetuating her downfall. Even when we, as her family, pleaded for help, asked for the truth to be told, not a single outlet extended a hand.
Lee Jin Ho, the cyberwrecker directly mentioned in the mother’s statement, has since apologized and defended himself in a recent video. Bit late for that.
Back to the media, it’s noticeable how the coverage of this scandal has been unequal to begin with.
Obviously he's getting blasted right now, and that's great, but retaining control of the narrative helps long-term outlook. The criticism will always linger, but they're basically just trying to do enough damage control that he can still make a production money.
— Asian Junkie (@asianjunkiecom) March 15, 2025
China netizens screenshot 100 korean news media articles just 1hr after kim soo hyun released his statement. Contrasted to kim saeron’s family disclosure, there were almost only few or no news coverage. Korean news media🤢 #kimsoohyun #김수현 pic.twitter.com/PCC2X31twJ
— 𝕊𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕪 #TheOn1yOne S2 pls 🎀 (@sa_hk_) March 14, 2025
To that end, GOLDMEDALIST are appealing to Kim Sae Ron’s mother to basically try to keep it out of the media.
The agency also acknowledged Kim Sae-ron’s mother’s position, saying, “We have seen the statements made by Kim Sae-ron’s mother on the recent broadcast. We cannot begin to fathom the immense pain she is experiencing after losing her daughter, and we recognize that no words can truly console her. We deeply regret and are saddened by the pain the deceased had to endure.”
However, Gold Medalist pointed out that some of the claims made by Kim Sae-ron’s mother differed from their understanding of the situation. They further expressed that there were details she may not have been aware of and stated, “We do not believe it is appropriate to publicly debate these matters, as it could go against the mother’s efforts to restore her daughter’s honor. Therefore, we would like to arrange a private meeting where our management team can provide a full explanation. We would greatly appreciate it if she could contact Gold Medalist at any time.”
Yeah, keeping things private would only benefit Kim Soo Hyun and his aim of sufficiently doing damage control. Also, Kim Sae Ron’s family is currently preventing Garo Sero from releasing other things due to them being worried about Kim Soo Hyun’s mental state, so it’s already clearly on the family’s mind.
Throughout this story, people have (understandably) been questioning Kim Sae Ron’s family and where they were as this relationship was going on. In their statements, they’ve consistently not only defended Kim Sae Ron, but also themselves, and this is as forceful as they’ve gotten so far about any backlash. Still, for those who have concerns about their actions, the worry now has to be that they’ll prioritize settling things behind closed doors for their benefit more than about getting the truth out for Kim Sae Ron, but we shall see.
Update
On that note, in a recent broadcast, Garo Sero says Kim Soo Hyun has tried to contact Kim Sae Ron’s family directly, but the family have refused.
Her mother has also sent out seven demands from Kim Soo Hyun and Lee Jin Ho.
1. We ask that Mr. Kim Soo-hyun acknowledge that he was in a relationship with Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor and issue an official apology.
2. We request an official apology from his agency, Gold Medalist, for manipulating the media over the past three years by denying their relationship and for stating just three days ago that they were never in a relationship.
3. We ask for recognition of Kim Sae-ron’s contributions as a founding member of the company and an apology for this matter as well.
4. We request an official apology for the content certification and repayment demand of 700 million KRW that was sent to Kim Sae-ron.
5. The reason we did not mention Kim Soo-hyun in our statement was to focus on warning Lee Jin-ho and cyber-reckless individuals. The bereaved family asks for nothing other than an official apology from Kim Soo-hyun and his agency.
6. Please understand that in order to prove that Lee Jin-ho was spreading false information, we had no choice but to reveal that Kim Sae-ron was in a relationship with Kim Soo-hyun, which inevitably led to the release of his photos.
7. We plan to file a legal complaint (lawsuit) against Mr. Lee Jin-ho sometime next week. We request a sincere, public apology from him, including for calling us while claiming he couldn’t locate the crematorium and for his behavior during the mourning period and the funeral. He may excuse it as fact-checking, but to us, it felt like mockery, and we find it deeply offensive.”
Also, Garo Sero released a picture of Kim Soo Hyun pants-less and washing dishes at Kim Sae Ron’s home, I guess.
