Kim Sae Ron has been embroiled in controversy constantly after her first trial for her DUI charges, especially after posting photos of her working at a franchise cafe, but the cafe claimed the actress never worked for any of its branches.

After Kim Sae Ron's first trial and the Instagram photo controversy, many people have doubted that the actress suffers from financial difficulty. Moreso because Kim Sae Ron was said to have hired one of the top and most expensive law firms in Korea.

However, Kim Sae Ron's legal representative stated that Kim Sae Ron is actually going through financial difficulty, and she is working part-time. DR & AJU Law Group attorney Min Ki Ho explained Kim Sae Ron's situation in a telephone interview with Star News on March 14. He stated, "It is true that Kim Sae Ron is working a part-time job because she is going through financial difficulty." 

He elaborated regarding Kim Sae Ron's living situation, "What was said earlier (in the previous reports) was true. It seemed that the fact that she was going through financial difficulty was being seen as false because of her social media photos. Right now, her contract with her agency had ended so I think it would help (that I share)." He added, "The apartment (that was shown on tvN's show 'On and Off') belonged to her agency. That was not her apartment. I can't reveal any more specifics other than this."

The attorney also explained the situation regarding the agency compensating for the damages in advance. He explained, "When an incident or accident occurs, the agency is usually responsible to take care of the issue with the individual they have a contract. Therefore, Kim Sae Ron's agency would have to compensate for the damages in advance since Kim Sae Ron does not have money. But I'm not sure."

Meanwhile, in May of last year, the actress got into a traffic accident when she collided with an electric transformer box located on the side of the road near Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam. Once the police stopped the vehicle, they identified the driver, under suspicion of driving under the influence, as actress Kim Sae Ron. When the police requested that Kim Sae Ron take a breathalyzer test, Kim Sae Ron refused and asked to be transported to the hospital for a blood test instead.

The actress posted a handwritten apology for the DUI accident and was said to have compensated all the storefronts affected by the broken transformer box. Afterward, Kim Sae Ron went into a period of self-reflection.

However, things turned for the worst, and the actress lost all support from the public when she was alleged to have thrown a drinking birthday party only two months after the accident.

After that, Kim Sae Ron posted photos of her working at a cafe one day after her first DUI trial. She tried to buy some sympathy from the public, but the photos caused her to receive more criticism. On top of that, the cafe released a statement saying Kim Sae Ron never worked at their cafe, causing another controversy.