SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean actor Kim Sae-ron’s dying this week has triggered an outpouring of grief and requires adjustments to the best way the nation’s celebrities are handled within the public enviornment and on social media, which critics say can foster a tradition of harassment.
The 24-year-old, who started her profession as a baby actor and earned popularity of her roles in a number of home movies, together with the 2010 crime noir “The Man from Nowhere,” was discovered useless by a buddy at her house within the nation’s capital, Seoul, on Sunday. The Nationwide Police Company has mentioned that officers should not suspecting foul play and that Kim left no notice.
As soon as among the many brightest stars on South Korea’s vibrant film and tv scene, Kim struggled to seek out work after a 2022 drunk driving incident, for which she was later fined in court docket.
On-line posts in South Korea are notoriously harsh towards celebrities who make missteps, particularly ladies, and Kim confronted fixed destructive protection from information organizations that capitalized on public sentiment.
Newspapers and web sites criticized her each time she was seen partying with buddies, or when she complained about her lack of labor and nasty feedback on social media. She was even criticized for smiling whereas filming an impartial film final 12 months.
Following Kim’s dying, a number of of the nation’s main newspapers on Tuesday printed editorials and opinion items lambasting the poisonous on-line feedback concerning the actor. Some invoked the 2019 deaths of Ok-Pop singers Seol-li and Goo Hara and the 2023 dying of “Squid Games” actor Lee Solar-kyun whereas calling for a change within the “harsh, zero-tolerance” tradition towards celebrities.
The Hankook Ilbo newspaper mentioned the nation’s media shops had been a part of the issue, lamenting that some shops continued to use Kim for clicks even after her dying, utilizing provocative headlines that highlighted her previous struggles.
The watchdog Residents’ Coalition for Democratic Media on Tuesday criticized information organizations for blaming social media with out contemplating their very own “sensational and provocative reporting.”
Born in 2000, Kim started her performing profession at age 9, with the 2009 movie “A Brand New Life,” portraying a woman’s struggles to regulate to a brand new life after being left at an orphanage by her father. She rose to stardom with “The Man from Nowhere,” which was one of many largest hits within the South Korean film scene that 12 months and received her a home performing award.
She starred in numerous motion pictures and TV reveals earlier than the 2022 drunk driving incident.
Gold Medalist, Kim’s former administration company, didn’t instantly reply requires remark.
