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| yna@yna.co.kr 2025-02-17 09:06:27
SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- Kim Sae-ron, who passed away at the young age of 25, was a former child star who made her debut at the age of nine and remained active in films and dramas for 16 years.
She first stepped into the entertainment industry as a child model for the magazine Enfant in 2001 and began her acting career in 2009 with the film A Brand New Life. In this South Korea-France co-production directed by Lee Chang-dong, she was cast as Jin-hee, a girl abandoned by her father and placed in an orphanage, overcoming a competitive 1,000-to-1 audition process.
Kim's delicate and emotional performance earned her recognition, and with the film's invitation to the Cannes Film Festival, she became the youngest Korean actress to walk the Cannes' red carpet.
Kim gained widespread recognition through The Man from Nowhere (2010), starring Won Bin. Playing the role of So-mi, a girl kidnapped by a crime syndicate and waiting for her rescuer Tae-sik (Won Bin), she delivered a moving portrayal of a child from an unstable household. The film, despite its R-rating, attracted over six million viewers, solidifying Kim’s reputation as “the child actress from The Man from Nowhere.”
She continued to captivate audiences with her performances in dramas such as Can You Hear My Heart? (2011), Mom Is Acting Up (2012), and The Queen’s Classroom (2013). In 2014, she returned to the big screen with A Girl at My Door, directed by Jung Joo-ri, where she starred alongside Bae Doo-na. Once again playing a troubled youth, she was invited to Cannes for a second time at just 14 years old.
Kim’s acting prowess was widely recognized, earning her numerous accolades. She won Best New Actress at the 19th Buil Film Awards for A Brand New Life, Best New Actress at the 8th Korean Film Awards for The Man from Nowhere, and became the youngest-ever recipient of Best New Actress at the 35th Blue Dragon Film Awards for A Girl at My Door.
She expanded her range with the two-part historical drama Snowy Road (2015), where she played Young-ae, a victim of Japanese military sexual slavery. Her performance was highly praised, and the drama was later released as a feature film. She won Best Actress at China’s Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival for this role.
Kim successfully transitioned out of her child star image, taking on lead and supporting roles in various projects, including the drama Mirror of the Witch (2016), The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim (2021), and the film The Villagers (2018).
However, her career took a major hit in May 2022 when she was involved in a DUI accident. At the time, she had been cast as Cha Hyun-joo in the Netflix series Bloodhounds, but much of her footage was cut, and a different character was brought in to replace her in the latter half of the show. She also withdrew from SBS’s drama Trolley and was banned from appearing on KBS.
Even with her acting career on hold, Kim remained in the public eye. Last year, reports surfaced that she was struggling financially, and she was seen working at a cafe. A photo she posted on social media with actor Kim Soo-hyun also sparked dating rumors.
She attempted a comeback in the theater production Dongchimi, but withdrew just a day after her return was announced, citing health issues. In the fall of last year, she joined the cast of the upcoming film Guitar Man, signaling her determination to return to acting. However, this film, which has yet to be released, will now serve as her final work.
Guitar Man follows a genius guitarist who joins an indie band called Volcano. The film was directed by Lee Sun-jung, the vocalist and guitarist of the Lee Sun-jung Band and CEO of Sungwon Pharmaceutical, who also acted alongside Kim.
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