As debate swirls around late actress Kim Sae Ron‘s role at her former agency Gold Medalist, a former creative director from the company has stepped forward to strongly deny claims that she worked without pay during her time there.
On March 22nd, a staffer identified as A, who says they worked with Gold Medalist from its founding days, posted a rebuttal on Instagram. “I pray for the late Kim Sae Ron,” they wrote before adding, “I was the creative director for Gold Medalist back when we didn’t even have a logo. I handled branding and visual direction for the company.”
A further claimed, “The profile photo of Kim Sae Ron you currently see on Naver (a web portal)? I directed that shoot. From trainees to rookies and top actors, all visual directing came through me,” stressing, “I’m writing this because the work I did over five years is being denied.”
The former staffer took direct aim at recent claims from Kim’s family, saying, “The story that she worked as a visual director in the early days and did it unpaid? That’s a total lie.”
They also shared parts of their portfolio, which includes a stint as creative editor at Gold Medalist from November 2019 to December 2023. Their credits also list work on video mapping for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, as well as media art installations in Incheon International Airport Terminal 1.
Earlier this month, Kim Sae Ron’s family revealed through the controversial YouTube channel Hoverlab, claiming that the actress rejected offers from other agencies in 2019 to join Gold Medalist—allegedly because it was the agency of her then-boyfriend Kim Soo Hyun. They alleged she voluntarily took on internal responsibilities such as talent scouting and visual direction without compensation.
>> Kim Soo Hyun Accused of Juggling Multiple Romances While Dating Underage Kim Sae Ron
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