• YouTuber Lee Jin Ho, Who Was Accused of Ruining Kim Sae Ron’s Life, Speaks Out—Says He Was Actually Helping Her with Her Manager

    After the heartbreaking news of actress Kim Sae Ron’s passing, YouTuber Lee Jin Ho, who was criticized for sharing details about her personal life, has spoken up to defend himself.

    On February 19, Lee Jin Ho uploaded a video titled “Clarifying My Stance on Kim Sae Ron” on his YouTube channel “Entertainment President Lee Jin Ho.”

    He started by expressing his condolences, saying, “I can’t even imagine how much pain the bereaved family is in. I, too, am heartbroken over this situation. May she rest in peace.”

    However, he firmly denied claims that he made her life difficult, saying, “Some people say I tormented her, but that’s simply not true. I have enough evidence to prove it.”

    Lee Jin Ho insisted that his videos were “only published after being reviewed by her acquaintances and agency officials.” To support his claim, he even released a recorded conversation with Kim Sae Ron’s manager.

    The manager, who had been helping Kim Sae Ron before she officially signed with an agency, was reportedly working with Lee Jin Ho to support her.

    The YouTuber explained, “For the past two years, we believed that even if Kim Sae Ron had made mistakes, she still needed a way to earn a living."

    He added, "We wanted to clear misunderstandings and highlight her struggles. That’s why we shared stories about her working part-time and facing financial difficulties.”

    Previously, Lee Jin Ho had reported that Kim Sae Ron was working at a café in Seongsu-dong due to financial hardships and tutoring aspiring actors as a form of talent donation.

    He further revealed, “Her situation was so difficult that we even considered having her do an interview. We had deep discussions with her agency, and these details were immediately reflected in my videos.”

    Lee Jin Ho strongly denied that he had harmed her in any way, saying, “We knew that if news of her signing with an agency spread, she would face harsh criticism. The media already scrutinized every little detail."

    He added, "But I wanted to give her a chance, which is why I never included anything negative about her. The agency officials who know the full story say the idea that I tormented her is completely absurd.”

    Source: [1]

  • Sunmi’s NFT Project Raised Billions, Then Crashed—Now Angry Investors Want Answers

    Sunmi is caught up in controversy after the NFT project she promoted made billions of KRW—only to lose most of its value, leaving investors frustrated.

    According to Kyunghyang Shinmun on February 21, Sunmi, her agency, and a KOSDAQ-listed company launched the NFT collection Sunmiya Club in February 2022.

    The project used blockchain technology to verify ownership of digital assets, turning illustrations inspired by Sunmi’s career into NFTs. Buyers were promised exclusive services to increase their investment value.

    Thanks to Sunmi’s strong promotion, the NFTs were a huge success at first, selling out and making billions of KRW.

    However, things took a turn when the NFT market crashed due to the Terra-Luna crisis and the bankruptcy of the U.S. crypto exchange FTX in late 2022.

    By 2023, Sunmiya Club had stalled, and the once high-value NFTs dropped to just tens of thousands of KRW.

    As investors faced major losses, some turned their frustration toward Sunmi. In response, the company behind the project stated, “We have fully followed the roadmap announced at the beginning and have continued operations.

    The funds raised from the NFTs were used for operational costs and investments in a new platform launched last year.”

    Despite the company’s defense, many are still questioning what went wrong and whether Sunmi will address the backlash.

    Source: [1]