South Korean actress Kim Sae Ron, who died aged 24, made the headlines, at least posthumously, when her endeavors to make amends with businesses damaged in the wake of her 2022 DUI accident were revealed.

On May 18, 2022, Kim crashed into a transformer in Gangnam, causing a power outage lasting three hours, and 57 nearby stores were affected. The outage resulted in problems such as card payments halting and other commercial outages.

Kim Sae Ron publicly accepted her fault after the incident and released a handwritten apology on Instagram, in which she pledged to settle the damages.

In a recent report, Korean media outlet Kukmin Ilbo stated that the actress went to each shop and compensated them for all that she promised to do. Store owners were surprised and thankful for her unexpected gesture.

Although she sought to mend her public image, the damage was done – and she was faced with financial problems when her entertainment activities stalled and fines were imposed.

Her court fine was 20 million won ($14,00 USD), and she is said to have had to work part-time in a cafe under a different name to make a living.

Kim Sae Ron's friend has revealed that she was thinking about revamping her public image and changing her name. In the wake of the announcement of her death, many are taking time to remember her battle to redeem her reputation.

Kim, who gained fame as a child star, was found dead inside her residence in the Seongsu-dong neighborhood of Seongdong-gu, Seoul, at 4:54 PM local time on Sunday, Feb 16, according to authorities. The police were alerted by a friend with whom Kim had arranged to meet.

Authorities have said there is no evidence of foul play or forced entry. The case is being registered as an unnatural death as a suspicion of suicide has an extreme option, but no suicide note has been found, a police official said.

Kim, who was born in 2000, established herself as an international star after displaying her chops in the 2010 film "The Man from Nowhere."

Unfortunately, her blossoming career was tarnished when she drove drunk in May 2022 and crashed into a power line and a tree in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. She was charged and faced criticism in the aftermath of the accident.

Kim was working to make a comeback as an actress when people pushed back. Last year, her intended return with the play "Dongchimi" was called off following backlash. She had just finished filming for Guitar Man but never appeared before audiences again.