Music video starring late K-actress Kim Sae-ron released

SEOUL – A music video featuring the late South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron was released on April 28, offering a glimpse of her final performance before her death in February.

South Korean film distributor Cmnix unveiled the music video for the song A World Without Pain, an original soundtrack from the upcoming film Guitar Man. The music video, available on YouTube, is composed of clips from the film, in which Kim plays Yoo-jin, the female lead.

The film’s director and actor Lee Sun-jung said of the late star: “Kim Sae-ron brought a lot of bright energy and passion to the filming. I had hoped she would return with an even greater comeback, but she left us too soon. Just as the soundtrack’s title says, I hope she finds happiness in a world without pain.”

Lee added that proceeds from the soundtrack will be donated to the Korea Foundation For Suicide Prevention.

Guitar Man is scheduled for release in South Korea on May 30. The movie, about a genius guitarist (Lee) who joins an underground band, was one of Kim’s final films before she committed suicide at the age of 24 in February 2025. Kim plays the band’s keyboardist in the movie.

Prior to her death, Guitar Man had seemingly signalled a comeback for Kim, whose career and reputation took a nosedive after she was caught drink-driving in May 2022, crashing into a transformer by the roadside, which interrupted electricity to nearby merchants. She took a hiatus, and returned to acting with Guitar Man only in 2024.

Another of her posthumous films is Everyday We Are, a romance in which she plays a high school girl who loves basketball. While filming wrapped in 2021, it is expected to be released later in 2025.

Kim, who made her debut as a child star, rose to fame starring opposite South Korean actor Won Bin in the hit thriller film The Man From Nowhere (2010).

Her death stirred controversy in her home country, especially after rumours surfaced that Queen Of Tears (2024) leading man Kim Soo-hyun, 37, had begun a relationship with her when she was a minor.

The South Korean actor admitted that he had dated her, but did so only from 2019 to 2020, after she became a legal adult. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK