Kim Sae-ron's family has addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding claims that a close family acquaintance is being falsely portrayed as her aunt.

This was in response to a live broadcast on the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute on March 21, in which host Kim Se-Lui read what she claimed was a statement from the actress's mother.

Such claims were denied by the family, who responded to allegations from reporter Lee Jin-ho that he rested his case with what he referred to as Kim Sae-ron's fake aunt.

In the family's statement, they said, "Mr. Lee, we don't know who that is. No such person has harmed us. The person you're referring to is just Sae-ron's aunt. If anyone needs to sue, it's us. Why are you doing this?"

The family, frustrated by continued speculation, addressed the issue in a statement, saying, "Why do we even need to clarify such petty issues? Do you think the public will forget what you did if you keep shifting the focus? Real aunt, fake aunt — what difference does it make?"

The statement continued to say the woman in question had been in their lives for almost two decades and was a close family friend.

"She met Sae-ron as a fellow child actor's mom around age six, helped with housework, supported her manager duties — it's been nearly 20 years. My children and I have always considered her like real family."

Her family also said she was supportive during tough times. She spoke on behalf of Sae-Ron, who has been fighting against coordinated fake news and hate comments for the past three years — fighting, that is, before this "aunt" stood by her, not as a spokesperson but as family. She has been here with us every single day since the day she died for over a month now.

"If this is not an aunt, then what is?"

A Plea for an Apology

In what sounded like a definitive statement, the family claimed that the woman was acting as their official representative with their total consent.

"Once again, we clarify: this person Lee Jin-ho calls a 'fake aunt' is acting as our official spokesperson with full permission. She is no different from a real aunt to us."

They then directly addressed Lee, saying, "Is apologizing really that difficult for you, Mr. Lee? Was our request too much? Please stop twisting the essence of this situation."

In closing, the statement left one last plea.

"What you're doing isn't truth-seeking — it's a desperate last attempt to justify your actions and pain. Don't pretend otherwise."

Ongoing Legal Disputes

This latest response comes amid the controversy over Kim Sae-ron's rumored relationship with another actor, Kim Soo-hyun. The actress's family accused Kim, and she started dating in 2015 when she was only 15. Another letter, handwritten by Kim to Sae-Ron, reportedly from when Kim was serving in the military in 2018, has also circulated.

Kim's agency, Gold Medalist, initially denied the claims; however, days later, they admitted that a photo of the actor in the kitchen, bottomless, had, in fact, been real. The agency later took legal action against Kim Ron's family, Garosero Research Institute, and her aunt for posting defamatory content and unauthorized pictures.