Media Outlets Mourn Actress They Spent Years Bullying Routinely

Screenshot: NewsInStar

Netizens Hold Candlelight Vigil for Celebrity They Spent 2 Years Dismantling

SEOUL — As news broke of actress Kim Sae-ron's passing, South Korean media outlets and online communities entered a public mourning period by solemnly honoring the star whose life they had meticulously picked apart for years.

“She was a bright light in our industry, taken from us far too soon,” read an editorial from Dispatch, which had ran investigative pieces on whether Kim had the audacity to look too happy at a public event after her 2022 car crash while driving under the influence of alcohol. “We must remember her for her talent, not for the endless, needlessly cruel coverage that coincidentally helped drive traffic to our site.”

Kim, 24, was found dead in her home in what authorities classified as a suicide. While her career began at nine with acclaimed performances in The Man from Nowhere and A Brand New Life, media narratives shifted dramatically two years ago after her drunk-driving incident. After issuing a public apology and compensating businesses affected by the accident, reporters at Allkpop and SBS funE began covering her financial struggles into a never-ending spectacle.

Fans, many of whom had spent years criticizing Kim online, gathered for a candlelight vigil outside her agency headquarters, setting aside their prior commitments to calling her “washed up” and “irredeemable” to post tributes.

“I was one of her biggest haters, but seeing how sad everyone is now, I realize she must have been a great person,” said @KdramaKing99, who last month wrote a thread on Naver Café about how Kim ruined her life and should just disappear.

“I only wish she had seen all this love before she left us,” the commenter said.

Meanwhile, reporters at YTN Star and MyDaily scrambled to produce retrospectives on Kim’s career, omitting the years they spent running headlines about her alleged drinking habits, speculating about whether she could still afford rent and repackaging online comments into outrage-bait articles.

“This is a tragedy,” said a solemn anchor on SBS News, moments before launching into a memorial segment titled “Kim Sae-ron’s Most Controversial Moments: Was It All a Cry for Help?” which aired alongside a separate segment exploring “Why Actresses Struggle with Mental Health: A Look at the Industry We Willfully Perpetuate.”

Kim’s passing has reignited conversations about the pressures South Korean celebrities face under the relentless gaze of the press and the internet. Experts have stressed the harmful effects of excessive scrutiny on mental health, with many agreeing that real systemic change is needed, before clicking “publish” on their latest hit piece about an actress who looked “a little off” at a red carpet event.

At press time, industry sources confirmed that a new target had already emerged, as news outlets began dissecting another rising actress’ facial expressions, body language and Instagram captions to decide whether she was secretly struggling or just cold and distant. ■

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