Who is actress Lee El as she appears to defend the late actress Kim Sae-ron?

AllKPop reported that “On March 17th KST, Lee El wrote on her social media, “A 9-year-old is just a child pushed into the industry by their parents, and a 15-year-old is suddenly treated as if they know everything and are labeled a gold digger?” Although Lee El did not allude to the context behind what she wrote, it is thought that her comments are related to criticism directed to the late actress Kim Sae-ron.

Kim Ji-hyun is a South Korean actress, who is best known professionally as Lee El. She has starred in the movie, ‘Inside Men,’ in 2015 and also appeared in the TV shows, ‘It’s Okay, That’s Love,’ in 2014, ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,’ ‘A Korean Odyssey,’ ‘Black’ and also had a leading role in the TV show, My Liberation Notes in 2022 and in the movie What a Man Wants in 2018.

In 2018, Lee El explained why she dropped out of high school and said: “I was introverted and had a unique personality. School life itself was difficult and lonely to me.” She also revealed that “I wasn't able to get along well with my friends. You know there's always that one kid by herself in the classroom."

In 2018, Lee El was linked to her co-star Kim Jae Wook but she posted a photo of him sleeping on Instagram. However, she quickly deleted it and her agency Artist Company said at the time that “The photo in question was taken in the waiting room at the ‘Amadeus’ theater, while the actors were resting. [Lee El] posted it as a joke because she thought it was a funny photo, then took it down.”

Kim Sae-ron was found dead by a friend at her home in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District, Seoul on February 16, 2025, she was just 24-years-old. Her family has reportedly submitted a complaint to the police against YouTuber Lee Jin Ho. Soompi shared the statement from Kim Sae ron’s family which read: “Article 250, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Act stipulates that a person who commits murder shall be punished by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for a term of at least five years.

“In our hearts, we wish to file charges under the crime of murder. However, as defamation does not fall under the methods of murder according to legal precedents, we regretfully hope that the fact that the deceased’s death is causally linked to YouTuber Lee Jin Ho’s dissemination of false information will be fully reflected in the sentencing, leading to the strictest possible punishment.will be fully reflected in the sentencing, leading to the strictest possible punishment.

On March 24, 2024, the deceased uploaded a photo of her with her ex Kim Soo Hyun. This was because she had received a certification of contents demanding repayment of debts from Kim Soo Hyun’s agency. Hoping that Kim Soo Hyun might not be involved in this matter, she attempted to contact him, but when there was no response, she briefly uploaded the photo, thinking it might prompt him to reach out.

“However, YouTuber Lee Jin Ho, for reasons unknown, not only denied the past romantic relationship between the deceased and Kim Soo Hyun but also spread false information that portrayed the deceased in a negative light, making her appear as an unusual or problematic person. This caused the deceased to suffer extreme mental anguish, ultimately driving her to make an irreversible decision.

“In light of this, the bereaved family asks for understanding regarding the necessity of revealing the deceased’s past relationship with Kim Soo Hyun in order to prove the falsehoods spread by YouTuber Lee Jin Ho. This also necessitated the disclosure of photos from their past relationship.

“Regarding the investigation, YouTuber Lee Jin Ho has been deleting past videos since the deceased’s passing. This is a clear act of evidence destruction, and we urge the authorities to conduct a search and seizure as well as an arrest investigation.

“Next, we would like to address matters related to Kim Soo Hyun.

“Initially, the bereaved family hoped that Kim Soo Hyun would acknowledge his past relationship with the deceased to disprove the false claims made by YouTuber Lee Jin Ho. However, Kim Soo Hyun’s repeated false statements have caused further distress to the bereaved family. We sincerely hope that even now, he will offer a heartfelt apology.

“After Kim Soo Hyun’s agency sent the first certification of contents, the deceased sent a text message to Kim Soo Hyun pleading for help. However, Kim Soo Hyun did not respond even once. Instead, through his agency, he sent a second certification of contents to the deceased. To briefly explain the contents of the second certification of contents, contrary to the recent statements made by Kim Soo Hyun’s side, it mentioned that the certification of contents was sent due to acts of embezzlement and other issues. However, in essence, it demanded that the deceased repay her debts within a given period. Additionally, it included instructions not to contact Kim Soo Hyun or other actors from his agency directly and threatened legal action regarding the photo she uploaded.

“Even after the second certification of contents, there was not a single instance of contact from Kim Soo Hyun nor was there any communication with other actors from his agency.

“It is difficult to even imagine the mental anguish the deceased must have endured after receiving such certification of contents during her lifetime. We cannot understand why Kim Soo Hyun’s side is claiming to await contact from the bereaved family by publicly releasing statements at this point.

“We are currently reviewing potential legal actions against Kim Soo Hyun and his representatives.”

Kim Soo Hyun’s agency Gold Medallist recently issued another statement about their client’s ‘relationship’ with the late actress Kim Sae-ron. Soompi reported that Gold Medallist said: “Hello, this is GOLDMEDALIST.

“We are issuing a statement on behalf of Kim Soo Hyun regarding the recent reports by HoverLab Inc. (hereafter referred to as HoverLab). Previously, GOLDMEDALIST announced that we would release a statement next week based on verifiable evidence to refute the claims made by HoverLab.

“However, early this morning, Kim Soo Hyun exhibited signs of severe psychological instability, and we have taken measures to ensure that he can achieve absolute stability. Following HoverLab’s report, Kim Soo Hyun has been experiencing extreme confusion due to claims that the cause of the sudden death of the deceased is attributed to him. Additionally, on the night of March 12, after HoverLab’s broadcast, a vehicle with individuals holding cameras was stationed across from the company’s main entrance and in the parking lot until dawn. On March 13, around lunchtime, individuals with cameras were seen loitering around the building, continuing the psychological pressure on Kim Soo Hyun.

“Given these circumstances, we kindly ask for your understanding as we urgently release a statement to clarify the key issues. Although this deviates from our original plan, nothing takes precedence over this matter, and we felt it necessary to communicate even if there are shortcomings.

Thank you.”

The statement went on to discuss the ‘relationship’ between Kim Soo Hyun and the late Kim sae-ron and said: “Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Sae Ron were in a relationship from the summer of 2019, after Kim Sae Ron became a legal adult, until the fall of 2020. It is not true that Kim Soo Hyun dated Kim Sae Ron when she was a minor. The photos shared by Kim Sae Ron on her Instagram Stories on March 24, 2024 and those shown in HoverLab’s broadcast on March 11, 2025 depict private moments of the two during their relationship in the winter of 2020. The outfit worn by Kim Sae Ron in those photos was released by a brand in June 2019, making HoverLab’s claim that the photos were taken in 2016, when Kim Sae Ron was a minor, impossible.”

The statement also discussed claims that Kim Soo Hyun ignored Kim Sae Ron’s financial issues and wrote: “Due to HoverLab’s reports, Kim Soo Hyun has been portrayed as the devil who drove Kim Sae Ron to her death. HoverLab claims that Kim Soo Hyun’s agency GOLDMEDALIST pressured him to repay debts incurred from the deceased’s drunk driving accident, and that when Kim Sae Ron sought help, Kim Soo Hyun ignored her, leading to her extreme choice. However, this is not true. At that time, GOLDMEDALIST paid off the entire remaining debt that Kim Sae Ron could not handle.”