As of March 14th, the Garosero Research Institute has publicly addressed the stance of late Kim Sae Ron's mother. The Garosero Research Institute stated that after hearing from Kim Sae Ron's mother that Kim Soo Hyun was in an extremely unstable state, as reported by his agency, they decided not to release additional photos and videos today showing Kim Soo Hyun doing dishes at Kim Sae Ron's house without his clothes on. However, the Garosero Research Institute mentioned that they are currently persuading Kim Sae Ron's bereaved family to release additional photos and evidence related to Kim Soo Hyun.

The decision was made after hearing that Kim Soo Hyun was in an extremely anxious state, following a request from the late Kim Sae Ron's mother. The Research Institute also refuted Kim Soo Hyun’s agency's claim that he and Kim Sae Ron began dating in 2016, stating that they were actually in a relationship from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020. They asserted that there is evidence supporting this timeline and dismissed the agency's statements as false.

In a statement written by the late Kim Sae Ron on March 24, 2024, she confirmed that the released photos were from 2016 and stated that she and Kim Soo Hyun had been in a relationship from November 19, 2015, to July 7, 2021, for six years. She also claimed that during their relationship, she transferred to Golden Medalist's agency, worked on various projects, including casting and visual direction, but did not receive any rightful compensation.

The Garosero Research Institute also addressed claims made by Kim Soo Hyun's agency regarding love letters sent to Kim Sae Ron, which were described as being sent by a close friend. The Research Institute called out the agency's lies, questioning how one would express love to a close friend, especially when the letters included phrases like "I love you."

In a lengthy statement, Kim Sae Ron’s mother said, ""Hello, we are the bereaved family of the late actress Kim Sae Ron. After much contemplation, we have decided to issue this statement, as we can no longer stand by and watch the distortion and misrepresentation of our family's intentions. As previously conveyed to the 'Garosero Research Institute, our primary goal is to restore the tarnished reputation of a young girl whose life was shattered by a multitude of false articles. Along with this, we aim to lay the groundwork for holding accountable the malicious YouTubers and cyber criminals who continue to spread lies and damage the lives of others, with legal consequences.

Sae Ron never lied to the media. She never pretended to be an actress for hire, nor was she a girl who only sought to enjoy herself with friends. She did not stir up dating rumors with manipulated photos. However, Lee Jin Ho and cyber criminals created false stories that dragged the life of a normal, promising young actress and her family into hell. Furthermore, Gold Medalist labeled Sae Ron as an insane woman who lied about her intentions with photos, adding to the chaos.

Now that Sae Ron is no longer with us, people are starting to spread absurd and false claims, such as her being the breadwinner of her family or that her family squandered hundreds of millions of earned money, sucking the life out of her. These utterly ridiculous and unfounded articles are being fabricated every day. What people are currently reading is just the ongoing process of amplifying a few photos provided to Garosero Research Institute in recent days. Even though powerful companies and well-known lawyers are behind these actions, they are likely to intervene and try to minimize the incident. However, at the time, Sae Ron had no one but her family to rely on. All the false stories were directed at her, a young girl just over twenty, and she alone had to bear the weight of the unimaginable hate and defamatory comments.

It was Lee Jin Ho and cyber criminals who repeatedly hurt Sae Ron when she was already down. Irresponsible media outlets spread Lee Jin Ho's articles without verifying the facts, siding with those who slandered and abandoned Sae Ron, and paid their salaries off of it. As a grieving family, we have asked for help, to write articles that reflect the truth, but not a single media outlet reached out to assist us. While we were mourning, YouTubers secretly hid cameras to invade our privacy at the funeral, and Lee Jin Ho even called us. Are these people human? How on earth can we forgive such people?

If it weren’t for the Korean Entertainment Suicide Prevention Association and Professor Kwon Young Chan reaching out to offer support, or if Garosero Research Institute had not extended their hand, the victims of Lee Jin Ho and the cyber criminals would be left with lifelong resentment and the tarnished reputation of Sae Ron. The actions of Lee Jin Ho and his associates are criminal, but due to the legal system failing to keep up with the changing times, it is difficult to charge them with murder.

As the bereaved family, we only wish to restore the honor of the late Kim Sae Ron, correct the false stories, and ensure that such incidents never happen again. We hope the media will fulfill their legal and institutional responsibilities, and that the truth will prevail."

She emphasized that Kim Sae Ron had never lied to the media or faked any stories, and she was not a girl who only enjoyed nightlife. Kim Sae Ron’s mother also criticized the false love affair rumors, pointing to manipulated photos as the source of these fabrications. Furthermore, she accused Lee Jin Ho and cyber bullies of producing false articles that dragged her daughter and family into hell.

Kim Sae Ron’s mother expressed outrage over the unsubstantiated articles that continued to spread falsehoods after her daughter’s passing, with claims that the family had wasted money and her daughter had been the breadwinner. She also criticized the media for spreading harmful rumors without fact-checking, and noted that no media outlet extended support when her family needed it the most.

Garosero Research Institute stated that in respect of the bereaved family’s wishes, they would focus today’s discussion on YouTuber Lee Jin Ho rather than Kim Soo Hyun. However, they questioned the inconsistency in Kim Soo Hyun’s reported emotional distress, pointing out that he proceeded with the recording of ‘Good Day’ without issue. Viewers of the show are currently protesting against his continued participation without any repercussions. Furthermore, Garosero Research Institute released additional couple photos of Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron, stating that they were taken near Kim Soo Hyun’s residence at Galleria Foret. 

Lee Jin Ho, the YouTuber at the center of the controversy, has not posted any recent videos about Kim Soo Hyun. However, the late Kim Sae Ron's mother has accused Lee Jin Ho of harassing her daughter for three years by continuously uploading videos about her.

Garosero Research Institute, in line with the family’s wishes, chose to focus on the actions of Lee Jin Ho and cyber bullies in this statement.

SEE ALSO: Kim Bo Ra writes heartfelt letter to late friend Kim Sae Ron