The world of K-Pop mourns a new death in strange and even illogical circumstances. ASTRO group member Moonbin was found dead on Wednesday by his manager in his apartment in Seoul at the age of 25.
There is something like a curse looming around the South Korean music genre, as several people linked to the music industry have lost their lives – some of them due to unusual accidents. Meanwhile, most of them have passed away after committing suicide.
What are the causes of this curse?
Undoubtedly, the pressure on several artists ends up breaking them from the inside after raising to fame. The reasons for the deaths may vary, but it is absolutely certain that deaths in the K-Pop industry occur much more frequently than in other similar fields, either because of problematic contracts, excessive work pace, long tours and rehearsal days, pressure from record labels, fans and those who hire them, or even because they need looking perfect, which leads them to experiment and even mutilate their body with aesthetic operations.
Let’s take a look at five different cases which occurred in a space of a very short period.
Seo Jae-Ho
Jae-ho was a South Korean actor and model. He was best known for his roles in dramas such as ‘The King in Love’, ‘The Third Charm’, ‘School 2021’ and ‘Grand Prince’. He also appeared in films such as ‘The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos and Birthday’.
One of the first dramas within the K-Pop genre took place 19 years ago, in March 2004. Seo Jae-Ho was driving a car that crashed into a truck after making a reckless maneuver. Jae-Ho was the only one who died in the accident.
Hara
Goo Ha-ra, better known by her mononym Hara, was a South Korean singer and actress. She was a member of the Korean group Kara, and also appeared in series such as ‘City Hunter’.
The singer and actress of the group “Kara” was 28 years old when she was also found dead in her home. Goo Hara committed suicide after engaging in a legal battle with her ex-boyfriend for publishing an intimate photo of her without her consent.
Sulli
Choi Jin-ri, known as Sulli, was a South Korean singer, actress, dancer and model since she was 11 years old. She made her debut as a child actress, playing the young version of Princess Seonhwa of Silla in the drama ‘Ballad of Seodong’, which aired on the South Korean network SBS.
Sulli was 25 years old when she died after putting an end to her career as a result of receiving threats from her fans on the Internet. She left her music group ‘f(x)’ for the same reason.
Jonghyun
Kim Jong-hyun, known as Jonghyun, was a South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer. He served as the lead vocalist of the boy band ‘SHINee’ for nine years until his death. He debuted as a solo artist on January 12, 2015 with the EP Base’.
Jonghyun died at the age of 27 at a hospital in Seoul after being found unconscious at his home. He died on December 18, 2017 and the cause of death was stated to be carbon monoxide poisoning.
Lee Ji Han
Singer and actor Lee Ji Han was among the 153 victims who died in the Itaewon crown crash in Seoul, South Korea. Aged 24 years, he had already established himself as one of his country’s biggest stars and had a great career ahead of him. The singer suffocated to death in the unusual accident.
Moonbin’s death
The other members of ASTRO, Cha Eun Woo, Rocky, Sanha, MJ and Jinjin have neither confirmed the tragic news, nor have they commented on it.
Moonbin was born in Cheongju, South Korea on January 26, 1998, trained for several years to be a K-pop idol and debuted in 2016 under Fantagio Entertainment.
According to the authorities quoted by the media, the k-pop star allegedly committed suicide.
“It seems that Moonbin took his own life,” South Korean police reported.
“We are currently discussing the possibility of an autopsy to determine the specific cause of death.”