Kim Sae-ron's Passing: Malicious Comments That Call for Death

Amid a series of condolences for actor Kim Sae-ron, who died on the 16th, voices are criticizing the excessive malicious comments directed at celebrities. It is pointed out that this kind of tragedy is repeated due to excessive public opinion pushing celebrities to desperation.

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A drunk driving accident in May 2022 stopped Kim Sae-ron, who debuted in the movie "A Brand New Life" at the tender age of nine and emerged as a promising actress through "The Man From Nowhere" (2010). Kim Sae-ron was suspended from appearing on TV at KBS after being cast in the drama "Trolley". She continued to self-reflect over the next three years, but the public sentiment was cold. In fact, she stopped acting and suffered from hardships.

Kim Sae-ron, who had been making a living by working part-time at a cafe, tried to resume her activities after two years through the theater "Dongchimi", but when her return was announced, public opinion erupted again. Eventually, she quit for health reasons. Every post on social media was left with malicious comments. With the end of her contract with her agency in December 2022, she became virtually defenseless against malicious comments.

Celebrities have repeatedly complained of pain due to excessive malicious comments. Many actors and singers, including actress Lee Sun-kyun, f(x) Sulli, Kara's Goo Ha-ra, and SHINee's Jonghyun, suffered from malicious comments during their lifetime. Recently, a growing number of major entertainment companies have responded sternly to malicious comments without prejudice, but some say that it is too much for celebrities to handle.

In particular, concerns about the indiscriminate and blind spread of malicious comments that began with certain issues over time are growing. Upon hearing the news of Kim Sae-ron's death, singer MIGYO vented her anger on social media, saying, "Haters will only stop once someone dies". Na Jong-ho, a professor at Yale University, said on social media, "The image of our society passing by as if nothing had happened after abandoning the fallen is like a giant "Squid Game"", and pointed out, "I think too strongly that it is a death driven to a cliff".

Experts say that the misconception that their public occupation has to endure any criticism also leads to such a tragedy. "If you attack a celebrity who is the envy of the public, the person who posts malicious comments will feel pleasure", said Lim Myung-ho, a psychology professor at Dankook University on Thursday. "Celebrities who look glamorous often find themselves lonely and have low self-esteem and struggle. The problem is overlooking that and attacking celebrities, falling into 'small heroism'.

Jung Deok-hyun, a pop culture critic, said, "The public can criticize the mistakes committed by celebrities, but I think we need a social atmosphere that gives us at least one chance after having time to self-reflect or make a sincere apology".

Actor Won Bin, who worked with Kim Sae-ron in "The Man From Nowhere", visited the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul. The funeral hall continued to be visited by colleagues including Han So-hee, Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Suhyun of AKMU. Actor Kim Ok-vin and broadcaster Park Seul-ki posted messages of condolence on social media.