24-year-old South Korean actress Kim Sae Ron’s death has once again lifted the lid on pervasive double standards surrounding excessive online hate suffocating Hallyu celebrities. The Bloodhounds actress, who made her acting debut at an even younger age of 9, was found dead at her home in Seoul on February 16.

The police have since declared her death a suicide. “We believe she made an extreme choice and plan to handle it as a suicide,” said an officer, per Yonhap News Agency on Monday.

The Netflix star was pushed into hiding after a 2022 DUI controversy marred her reputation. Kim went on a professional hiatus after crashing her car into a roadside electrical transformer box in a drunken state. She was fined $20 million won, or $13,850 US.

However, in addition to the monetary fine, the incident took a toll on her emotionally and professionally. Driven out of the spotlight at the expense of her humiliation, the actress persistently tried to make an acting comeback. However, all those attempts fell through due to prolonged public backlash.