Four actresses, Choi Sulli, Goo Hara, Kim Sae-ron and Jang Ja-yeon, all left this world before the age of 30.
They were dazzling on the screen, but they chose to end their lives in their beautiful youth.
After further digging, it was discovered that they seemed to have a lot to do with Kim Soo Hyun, Bae Yong Joon, and the companies behind them.
What have they experienced? What unknown dark sides of the Korean entertainment industry have been exposed by their deaths?
The “scary” agency is really creepy
Bae Yongjun, a legend in the Korean entertainment industry, was born in Mapo District, Seoul in 1972. Initially, his dream was to be a film director.
In 1993, after working in a film production company for several months, Bae Yongjun followed the advice of others and auditioned for KBS TV station. Unexpectedly, he successfully won the leading actor role in "Greetings from Love", and his career in acting began.
When his acting career was booming, in 2004, he founded the BOF "Jie Lin" agency.
In 2006, BOF teamed up with South Korea's Soft Bank and IMX to jointly invest in the listed company OTTOWINTECH and renamed it KEYEAST. Bae Yongjun personally invested 9 billion won and became the largest shareholder.
Kim Soo Hyun's acting career is inseparable from Bae Yong Joon. In 2007, Kim Soo Hyun debuted in "Kimchi Cheese Smile" and was spotted by Bae Yong Joon.
Next, Bae Yongjun used KEYEAST's resources and operating techniques to promote Kim Soo-hyun from an unknown rookie to a top figure in the Korean Wave. Kim Soo-hyun quickly became a well-known star with works such as "The Moon Embracing the Sun" and "My Love from the Star".
In 2020, Kim Soo-hyun started a new journey and founded the Gold Medalist agency with his cousin.
These two agencies also include Kim Soo-hyun, but they have put many female stars into fatal difficulties.
The ill-fated female star
Cui Xueli was born in an ordinary family in Busan, South Korea in 1994. Her original name was Cui Zhenli. When she was 7 years old, her parents divorced and she lived with her mother. The family conditions were not very good.
With her superior appearance, Cui Shirley was loved by everyone and successfully became a child star. Later, she signed a contract with Korean entertainment giant SM and joined the girl group f(x). Relying on their outstanding appearance and solid singing and dancing skills, the group quickly rose to prominence and won countless fans around the world.
SM happens to be the largest shareholder of Keyeast. Although Cui Xueli has top resources in the company, her life and work have always been completely controlled by the brokerage company.
Later, her relationship with an actor who was 14 years older than her was exposed, which caused her to suffer a long period of online violence and unprovoked attacks, which eventually triggered her severe depression.
During the promotion of the last movie she collaborated with Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun publicly teased Choi Sulli for "not speaking normally." This once again exposed Choi Sulli to violent attacks on the Internet.
When Cui Xueli was 25 years old, she chose to hang herself at home due to unbearable pressure. Her young life ended abruptly. After her death, those strange paintings were exposed, and everyone suddenly realized that this young girl actually carried too much malice and pain.
Not long after, Cui Shirley's good friend Goo Hara also encountered similar troubles.
Goo Hara was abandoned by her family when she was nine years old. At the age of seventeen, with her outstanding appearance and unremitting efforts, she successfully debuted and became a member of the Korean girl group KARA, quickly becoming popular on the streets.
Once you become famous, hardships will follow. In 2016, Goo Hara resigned from DSP Media and switched to KeyEast Company. However, the subsequent acting opportunities were not as expected, and her development path became quite bumpy.
What's even more tragic is that she experienced a nightmare emotionally. Her boyfriend actually secretly filmed her private video. Goo Hara had to kneel down and beg for mercy in order to protect herself, but was beaten by her boyfriend until her uterus began to bleed.
At this time, instead of giving her any support, her agency asked her to pay 1 billion won in liquidated damages when the contract was terminated. This caused her to suffer a heavy physical and mental blow, as well as a heavy financial burden.
After the video was exposed, although there were constant criticisms, some people began to accuse Goo Hara of hyping up. In order to avoid these disputes, she chose to go to Japan to escape the limelight.
But Cui Xueli's death was undoubtedly a huge shock to her. She also specially recorded a video to commemorate Cui Xueli, but it was interpreted as trying to gain attention. Goo Hara chose to end her life on the 41st day of Choi Sulli's death at the age of 28, and finally chose to jump off the building.
Kim Sae-ron. This young actor quickly made a name for himself in the entertainment industry with his outstanding acting skills and became a new star that attracted much attention. After her contract with her former agency expired, she decided to sign with Kim Soo Hyun's company.
But after signing the contract, her development was not very ideal, and her resources dropped sharply. She was reduced from a first-line heroine to a web drama heroine. This is really a big gap.
Later, Kim Sae-ron made big news due to a drunk driving incident. This mistake almost ruined her career. She was completely blocked and gradually disappeared from the public eye.
On February 16, 2025, Kim Sae-ron, who was only 25 years old, committed suicide at home. After her death, her relationship with Kim Soo-hyun was exposed, which instantly aroused widespread discussion and concern in society.
According to information revealed by Kim Sae-ron's family, the relationship between the two began when Kim Sae-ron was 15 years old. Although Kim Soo Hyun has denied this relationship, in the face of various evidences, Kim Soo Hyun may not be able to escape.
In addition, there is also a debt issue of 700 million won. Kim Sae-ron needed to pay a large amount of liquidated damages due to a drunk driving accident, of which 700 million won was repaid by her agency.
But in 2024, the brokerage company actually began to ask Kim Sae-ron for this debt, which simply added fuel to her already difficult situation. She once asked Kim Soo-hyun to give herself some grace, but she received a cold response from Kim Soo-hyun.
On Kim Soo-hyun's birthday, Kim Sae-ron couldn't bear the debt and psychological pressure and chose to end his life at home. This became her last stand.
When Zhang Ziyan was 16 years old, her parents unfortunately passed away, but her relatives took away her inheritance, causing her and her sister's lives to fall into trouble.
Zhang Ziyan did not choose to give up. With her outstanding appearance and temperament, she was spotted by a talent scout. After filming an advertisement, she became famous. She then signed a contract with an agency and successfully entered the entertainment industry.
Zhang Ziyan gradually showed her talents in the entertainment industry and became a high-profile new star. But behind this seemingly bright future, there is endless darkness hidden.
The Keyeast company she signed the contract with colluded with the chaebol, and she suffered inhuman torture in the three years after her debut. He became a tool for the entertainment of wealthy celebrities.
When it terminated the contract, it was even required to compensate 1 billion in liquidated damages. On March 7, 2009, 29-year-old Zhang Ziyan hanged herself at home, ending her young life.
After her death, the 230-page suicide note she left behind was made public. The suicide note detailed the various hardships she had experienced and exposed 31 relevant people, including some corporate executives, media executives, politicians and other members of South Korea's wealthy class.
Under strong pressure from public opinion, South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered a comprehensive investigation into the case. However, due to the power and influence of those involved, the investigation has been difficult to progress, and the truth has never been able to emerge.
The four actresses all chose to leave when they were most beautiful. They were all under 30 years old, but their lives were full of tragedies. Their deaths are more or less related to the agency and Kim Soo Hyun.
This also allows people to see the darkness and horror of the Korean entertainment industry.
The Korean entertainment industry is such a chaotic place
The chaos in the Korean entertainment industry is really shocking, and the control of the chaebol behind it is the root of the problem. They reached out and turned the entertainment industry into an extension of their own power and interests.
Those brokerage companies are simply the "spokesmen" of the chaebol. The "slave contracts" they sign with artists leave people speechless, and the share ratio is as high as 90%. Once a contract is signed, it lasts for 10 years, and the artist's career and even daily life are tightly controlled.
In such an environment, life is really difficult for female celebrities. They are often regarded as "commodities" and have to accept the control of chaebols and some inhuman treatment.
In addition, celebrities have to face the threat of online violence at any time. The public opinion environment in South Korea is complex, and the fan base is huge and crazy. As long as the words and deeds of celebrities are amplified or misunderstood, large-scale cyber attacks may immediately occur.
In order to divert people's attention away from negative events, or to attack rival artists, some agencies often use Internet trolls to manipulate public opinion and discredit celebrities.
Conclusion
The chaos in the Korean entertainment industry can only be improved through the joint efforts of all parties in society. I hope that artists can be given a healthy and fair development space in the future.
