Kim was found dead in her home in Seoul, South Korea, just before 5 p.m. local time Sunday, Feb. 16
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Kim Sae-Ron in Seoul, South Korea, on April 13, 2018. Photo:Han Myung-Gu/WireImage
Kim Sae-ron’s cause of death has reportedly been revealed.
The 24-year-old Netflix star died by suicide, according to multiple outlets including The New York Times, The Korea Times and Yonhap News Agency, citing law enforcement.
“We believe she made an extreme choice and plan to handle it as a suicide,” police told reporters, according to the latter outlet.
The Korean National Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Monday, Feb. 17.
Kim was found dead in her home in Seongsu-dong, a neighborhood in eastern Seoul, South Korea, just before 5 p.m. local time on Sunday, Feb. 16, Yonhap reported, citing authorities.
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Kim Sae-Ron in Seoul, South Korea, on April 13, 2018. Han Myung-Gu/WireImage
Known for her childhood roles, Kim made her acting debut at age 9 playing an orphan called Jinhee in the 2009 drama A Brand New Life, which earned her international acclaim.
She followed it up with another memorable performance in the action-thriller The Man from Nowhere, which cemented her as a rising star.
Some of the late actress’ other memorable roles include The Neighbor (2012), A Girl at My Door (2014) and the drama series Mirror of the Witch, which first aired for 20 episodes starting in 2016.
Kim then stepped away from her acting career after she was caught driving under the influence of alcohol in May 2022, according to Yonhap.
The star crashed her car into a guardrail, trees and a transformer during the incident in southern Seoul, causing a temporary power outage in the area, the agency said. She was later fined a sum equaling about $15,000 for the incident in April 2023.
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Kim Sae-Ron in Seoul, South Korea, on April 15, 2019. Han Myung-Gu/WireImage
Around the same time, Kim attempted to resume her career and return to the limelight by starring in a play, Dongchimi, but she was met with backlash and reportedly dropped out over health issues, according to Yonhap and Variety.
The actress’s hiatus officially ended with her role in Netflix’s action series Bloodhounds, which hit the streamer in June 2023. However, much of her screentime was edited out in the wake of her 2022 accident and the surrounding controversy, Variety reported. The project marked her final work.
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A friend who had plans to meet with Kim found her at her home and reported her death on Sunday, Yonhap said at the time.
Authorities “have not found any signs of foul play as of yet” and are currently investigating the circumstances of the star’s death, a police official told the South Korean news agency on Sunday.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
