Ex-sitcom actress reveals why she left entertainment, says agency head pressured her into nightlife venues

Kim Se-in / Captured from Kim's social media Former actress Kim Se-in has revealed the painful circumstances that led her to leave Korea's entertainment industry, saying financial hardship forced her to take revealing acting roles and that her former agency head repeatedly took her to adult nightlife venues. Kim shared her story during Thursday's episode of MBN's television program “Exclusive World,” where viewers saw her current life working as a food delivery driver while caring for 15 rescued animals, including seven abandoned dogs, as well as rabbits and chickens. “I have to earn every penny I can,” Kim said. “I occasionally film commercials, dramas and movies, but I have to keep working to support my large family.” Kim made her acting debut in the 2004 film “Same Bed, Different Dreams” and gained wider recognition through the 2011 SBS sitcom “Oh My God.” Despite her rising profile, she unexpectedly stepped away from the entertainment industry in 2013. Looking back on that period, Kim said she endured severe pressure from her agency. “My agency head kept taking me to places like adult entertainment venues and made my life miserable,” she said. "Then my mother collapsed. Every single day felt like hell. I hated living." Kim said she grew up in a wealthy household while her father was a successful businessman, but the family's financial situation collapsed during the 1997 Asian financial crisis. She said the family was eventually forced to live in a warehouse-like space, and she entered the entertainment industry out of financial necessity. She disclosed that her family's urgent financial needs pushed her to accept revealing acting roles. “At the time, we desperately needed tens of millions of won (about $21,600) and my family was in such a difficult situation that I felt I had no choice but to shoulder the burden,” she said. “My father was extremely upset.” Kim said her father died of a heart attack two years ago. She explained that she now devotes herself to caring for abandoned dogs and other animals in part to keep a promise she made to him. Her mother, meanwhile, has remained in a come for 15 years after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage. “I want to keep taking good care of this big family and do my best so I can remain responsible for them until the very end,” Kim said. This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.