K-Pop star Park Bo Ram has been found dead at a friend’s home aged just 30, according to reports, becoming the latest South Korean singer to die young.
According to police, Park was with two other women at her friend’s house in Seoul on Thursday when she was found to have collapsed, suffering a cardiac arrest.
She was rushed to hospital, but died at 11.17pm, about an hour after she was found.
Police have launched an investigation into her death.
According to news outlet AllKPop, Namyangju Police Station filed a report that said the singer was drinking with her friends.
K-Pop star Park Bo Ram has been found dead at a friend’s home aged just 30, according to reports, becoming the latest South Korean singer to die young
According to police, Park was with two other women at her friend’s house in Seoul on Thursday when she was found to have collapsed, suffering a cardiac arrest
She was rushed to hospital, but died at 11.17pm, about an hour after she was found
According to news outlet AllKPop, Namyangju Police Station filed a report that said the singer was drinking with her friends before she died
The report states she excused herself to go to the bathroom at 9.55pm, but did not return for some time.
READ MORE: How South Korea’s K-pop and acting world has been rocked by tragedies in recent years
Advertisement
When her two friends checked on her, she was ‘found slouched over the sink, unconscious,’ the report said. They performed CPR while waiting for emergency responders to arrive at the house, it added.
Park’s agency XANADU Entertainment released a statement – carried by South Korean media outlets – announcing the singer’s passing.
‘We are here to share sorrowful and heartbreaking news. Park Bo Ram suddenly passed away late at night on April 11,’ the statement said.
‘All of the artists and executives at XANADU Entertainment are deeply mourning the deceased with great sadness.
‘It is even more heartbreaking that we have to tell you this sudden news to all of the fans who support Park Bo Ram.
‘The funeral will be held after consulting with the bereaved’s family. Once again, we send our deepest condolences to the deceased so she may rest in peace.’
Park first gained attention by appearing in audition show ‘Superstar K2’ in 2010, which sees singers perform a song to impress three judges and the audience.
Four years later, in 2014, she debuted with ‘Beautiful’, ranking 19th on South Korea’s annual chart that year.
Just ten days before her sudden death, on April 3, Park released a new single titled ‘I Miss You’ and was said to be preparing for a full-length album.
Park is not the first young South Korean singer to die in recent years.
Park’s agency XANADU Entertainment released a statement – carried by South Korean media outlets – announcing the singer’s passing
Park Bo-Ram arrives for the fourth Gaon Chart K-POP Awards on January 28, 2015 in Seoul
Last year, 25-year-old singer Moonbin was found dead in his apartment. His death was put down to suicide.
His manager found him dead at his home in Gangnam-gu, Seoul in April 2023 , YonHapNews Television reported at the time.
K-drama actress Park Soo Ryun died at the age of 29 in June 2023. She died after falling down a set of stairs.
Also last year, South Korean influencer BJ Ahyeong, a K-pop DJ, was found dead and dumped in a pit in Cambodia weeks after she quit her social media career.
Choi Sung-bong – who was 33 – also died in a likely suicide in 2023.
In 2019, four young K-pop stars are known to have passed away.
South Korea has the highest suicide rate among young people in the world’s developed countries, according to De Telegraaf.
K-pop stars come under a high amount of pressure through their work.
Last year, 25-year-old singer Moonbin (pictured in January 2023) was found dead in his apartment . His death was put down to suicide
K-drama actress Park Soo Ryun died at the age of 29 in June 2023. She died after falling down a set of stairs
But while scores of actors, K-Pop stars and other South Korean celebrities have been victims of suicide due to mental illness, many have also died in devastating accidents and even horrifying murders.
Here are some of the country’s most high profile celebrity deaths in recent years:
Jung Chae-yul – mystery death
Tragic news of Jung Chae-yul’s still unexplained death rocked South Korea yet again in April.
The 26-year-old shot to fame for her role in Zombie Detective – which gained something of a cult following after streaming on Netflix- as well as I Have Not Done My Best, and the 2018 film Deep.
The actress, who was found dead at her home, had been set to star in the much anticipated K-drama series Wedding Impossible before the heartbreaking news.
South Korean actress and model Jung Chae-yul (pictured) was found dead in her home at the age of 26
Her agency Management S delivered the ‘heartbreaking and unfortunate’ news, adding: ‘According to the wishes of the bereaved family, who are in greater sorrow than anyone else, the funeral will be held quietly and privately.
‘We earnestly ask you to refrain from spreading rumours and speculative reports in this regard.’
BJ Ahyeong – murdered
The body of BJ Ahyeong – a K-pop DJ with 500,000 followers – was discovered covered in bruises and wrapped in a red rug in a ditch in the country’s Kandal province on June 6.
Police say her neck appears to have been broken.
Cambodian police have since arrested and charged a Chinese couple with ‘murder accompanied by torture’ after the 33-year-old was last seen alive at the medical clinic they run.
Lai Wenshao, 30, and his girlfriend Cai Huijuan, 39, testified to police that they abandoned the woman’s body after she had seizures and died while receiving treatment at their clinic on June 4, reports said. They face life imprisonment if convicted of the charge.
BJ Ahyeong was an influencer for AfreecaTV, a South Korean video-streaming service, with hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram.
BJ Ahyeong was an influencer for AfreecaTV, a South Korean video streaming service
Lai Wenshao and his girlfriend Cai Huijuan, above, have been charged with murder and torture
Moonbin – suspected suicide
The 25-year-old singer, actor, dancer and model was best known as a member of boy band Astro and its sub-unit Moonbin and Sanha.
But on April 19, his manager tragically found him dead at his home in Gangnam-gu, Seoul at 8.10pm, in a suspected suicide.
He is believed to have been found after he failed to show up for rehearsals.
Born Moon Bin, he was part of the original lineup for Astro, debuting with five other singers in 2016.
Astro’s record label Fantagio Music said at the time that the South Korean star had ‘suddenly left us and became a star in the sky’.
The untimely death of one of K-Pop’s biggest stars, Moonbin (pictured), at the age of 25 was announced in April
Moonbin, who was also the older brother of K-pop girl group star Moon Sua, of Billie, went on hiatus in 2019 for health-related reasons, but returned in 2020 to appear again with the group.
His death triggered further debate over the mental health crisis in South Korea – a country which has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world and where 95 per cent of nationals report being stressed.
Song Yoo-jung – mystery death
South Korea’s controversial showbusiness industry also came into question when TV actress Song Yoo-jung died at the age of 26.
The celebrity, who starred in TV drama Make A Wish and won lucrative commercial deals including with cosmetics company Estee Lauder, was found dead at her home in Seoul in January 2021.
Although no cause of death was given, her death followed a string of suicides by young entertainers in the country.
South Korea’s controversial showbusiness industry also came into question when TV actress Song Yoo-jung (pictured) died at the age of 26
‘Actress Song Yoo-jung has left us,’ Sublime Agency said at the time of her death. ‘Yoo-jung was a friend who always gave us happiness with a bright smile, and an awesome actress who acted with a passion bigger than anyone.’
Her death triggered more debate about the intense glare of the limelight in Korea’s television and K-Pop culture, particularly for young women who are picked up by agencies at a young age and face vicious shaming on social media.
Kim Mi-soo – mystery death
South Korean actress Kim Mi-soo, who like Park Soo Ryun, starred in the popular Disney+ series Snowdrop, died suddenly at age 29 in January 2022.
In yet another unexplained death, her agent did not reveal a cause for the tragedy, only saying her family was in ‘shock and grief-stricken’.
Kim’s agency, Landscape, said in statement: ‘Kim suddenly left us on January 5. The bereaved family is currently very heartbroken by the sudden mournful news.
‘The bereaved are deep in their sorrow at the sudden sadness.
South Korean actress Kim Mi-soo, who like Park Soo Ryun, starred in the popular Disney+ series Snowdrop, died suddenly at age 29 in January 2022 (pictured in October 2019)
Kim’s character was an activist and fourth-year History student who shared an university dormitory with the main character
‘We sincerely ask you to refrain from making up rumours or speculative reports so that the bereaved family, who are in shock and grief-stricken, can reverently commemorate the deceased.’
Kim, who gained popularity for https://chungchinghecacloai.com/ her role on Snowdrop as Yeo Jeongmin, a student activist, also appeared in the South Korean films Memories and Kyungmi’s World, both in 2019.
Meanwhile, she also appeared in Netflix’s acting drama Hellbound, which beat Squid Game to become Netflix’s most watched show in November 2021.
Park Ji-sun – suspected suicide
In November 2020, prominent South Korean comedian Park Ji-sun was found dead at her home alongside her mother in a suspected double suicide.
Park was reportedly being treated for an unspecified illness and the Seoul Shinmun newspaper cited a police officer as saying there were ‘no signs of outside intrusion or murder’.
The exact causes of death are unknown but police suspect the comedian and her mother took their own lives. Her father had called the police after the pair failed to answer their phones.
In November 2020, prominent South Korean comedian Park Ji-sun (pictured) was found dead at her home alongside her mother in a suspected double suicide
Park was a graduate of the elite Korea University, where she studied education, but charmed audiences with her down-to-earth and self-deprecating humour – often light-heartedly playing the role of a woman repeatedly rejected on a date.
‘I am lucky as a comedian that I can use my face to make people laugh,’ she said in an interview with the Hankyoreh newspaper.
Kim Jung Gi – heart attack
The South Korean cartoonist who held the Guinness World Record for ‘longest drawing by an individual’ died of a heart attack aged just 47.
Kim Jung Gi, 47, passed away ‘suddenly’ in October while in Paris, collaborator Hyun Jin Kim announced at the time.
Mr Jung Gi, having finished his last schedule in Europe, was heading for New York when he experienced ‘chest pains’ at the airport.
He was taken to hospital for surgery but ‘sadly passed away.’ Mr Jung Gi left behind a wife and two children.
The South Korean cartoonist Kim Jung Gi, 47, (pictured in 2016) passed away ‘suddenly’ from a heart attack while in Paris last October
Lee Ji Han – Halloween crush in Seoul
Actor and singer Lee Ji Han was one of the hundreds of victims of a crush at Halloween celebrations in Seoul last October.
The 24-year-old had recently starred on reality TV show Produce 101 to create a K-pop band and later appeared on the popular drama show Today Was Another Nam Hyan Day in 2019.
His agency, 935 Entertainment, paid tribute in a statement: ‘It’s true that Lee Ji Han passed away due to the accident in Itaewon on October 29.
Actor and singer Lee Ji Han (pictured), who appeared on reality TV show Produce 101 to create a K-pop band, was among the victims of the Halloween crush in Seoul
‘We also hoped that it wasn’t true, and we were very shocked to hear the news. The family is suffering immense grief right now, so we are being very cautious. May he rest in peace.’
They later added: ‘Please send a warm farewell to [Lee], who left us too soon. We will also remember Lee, who shone beautifully with his passion for acting.’
Sulli – suspected suicide
K-pop star and actor Sulli was found dead at her home in Seongnam aged 25 on 14 October 2019 in another suspected South Korean celebrity suicide.
A member of girl group f(x), launched by SM Entertainment in 2009, her band had achieved fame across the country and the world.
The star, born Choi Jin-ri, had received online abuse from trolls throughout her career, and announced in 2014 that she would be taking a break from her band due to ‘stress-related pain’.
K-pop star and actor Sulli (pictured) was found dead at her home in Seongnam aged 25 on 14 October 2019 in another suspected South Korean celebrity suicide
She went on to focus on her acting career full-time in 2015, before launching a solo career with her first single coming out the year she died.
But amid her fame, she caused a stir in South Korea’s traditionally conservative society for not wearing a bra and publicly displaying her romantic relationships.
She was a victim of homophobia after sharing a peck with her bandmate and best friend Goo Ha-Ra – who also took her own life – at her birthday party. She was also an anomaly in the country’s music industry for speaking out about her struggles with panic disorders and being candid about the trolling she received online.
Goo Hara – suspected suicide
As K-Pop fans tried to come to terms with the death of Sulli, they then received the tragic news that her close friend Goo Hara had also been found dead just weeks later.
Hara, 28, was a former member of K-Pop group Kara, which debuted in 2007.
Her death, a suspected suicide, came after a previous attempt to take her own life six months earlier, when her manager found her unconscious at her home.
The death of Goo Hara (pictured) came just weeks after her close friend, fellow K-Pop star Sulli, passed away
The star had been through a difficult time in the year before her death, having taken her ex-boyfriend to court after he threatened to release a sex tape of them that he had filmed without her knowledge.
This kind of vile blackmailing is called ‘molka’ in South Korea, and had seen a huge rise and another woman taking her own life around the time of Hara’s death.
Tany – car crash
In 2018, K-Pop singer Tany tragically passed away aged just 22 following a fatal car crash.
Tany, whose real name was Kim Jin-soo, died in the early hours of the morning on Saturday 14 April after his car was reported to have collided with a structure.
Tany (pictured), 22, became famous for his heartfelt tribute to the 300-plus victims of the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014
The South Korean star had been driving on the Namhae Expressway in Jangheung County, in the south west of the country.
Tany shot to fame for his heartfelt tribute to the 300-plus victims of the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014.
The song, released in December 2016 was called ‘Always Remember’, honouring the hundreds of people, including many schoolchildren, who had perished.
For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit website
South Korea
Read more:
Samaritans | Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy | Here to listen
website star Park Bo Ram dies aged 30 after collapsing at friend’s home
