When actress Kim Sae-ron suddenly passed away, the movie ‘Guitar Man’, which was supposed to be her ‘comeback project’, unfortunately ended up becoming her ‘posthumous work’. ‘Guitar Man’ was Kim Sae-ron‘s ‘second comeback project’, after her plan to return with the play ‘Dongchimi’ last May fell through, and it is known that she approached the filming with passion.

According to the film industry on the 17th, the movie ‘Guitar Man’ finished all filming in November last year and is currently editing with the goal of being released in the first half of this year. The low-budget independent film ‘Guitar Man’ depicts the story of a genius guitarist joining the underground band Volcano.

Director Shin Jae-ho, who was originally set to direct, dropped out midway, and Lee Sun-jung, who played the male lead, finished directing herself. Lee Sun-jung, who is also well-known as the founder of the pharmaceutical company Sungwon Pharmaceutical, is actually the vocalist and guitarist for the Lee Sun-jung Band. In addition to starring and directing this film, she also wrote and composed the OST and invested in it.

Right after the news of Kim Sae-ron’s passing, Lee Sun-jung said in an interview with a media outlet, “(Kim Sae-ron) plays a pitiful female protagonist in the drama, and I wanted to try it because I felt like she represented my situation well, so I ended up joining her.” She said, “I saw her having a hard time (while filming). She has a bright appearance, but she looks dark and heavy when she‘s alone. ”I thought it must have been hard for her to be in such a harsh situation at such a young age,“ he said, expressing regret.

Kim Sae-ron, who was reflecting on herself after a drunk driving accident in May 2022, was reported to have changed her name to ‘Kim A-im’ and planned to resume her acting career starting with ‘Guitar Man’. An associate said, ”Until recently, we were discussing the timing and method of her return to the entertainment industry. That’s why I can‘t believe Kim Sae-ron’s sad news.“

Kim Sae-ron was found dead at her home in Seongdong-gu, Seoul on the 16th. It was reported that a friend visited Kim Sae-ron‘s home, found her collapsed, and reported it to the police around 5 p.m. The funeral was held at the Seoul Asan Medical Center funeral hall on the 17th, and her parents and two younger siblings were listed as chief mourners.


Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.