K-pop star Moonbin dies at age of 25 in suspected suicide
A 25-year-old K-pop star from the famous boyband Astro has died in what appears to be a suicide.
Moonbin was found unresponsive at his apartment in Seoul on Wednesday night, his record label Fantiago announced. The star had been performing as part of a duo with another Astro member, Sanha, and they had been in the middle of a world tour.
At a recent concert, Moonbin told fans that he had been going through a difficult time, Korean broadcaster SBS reported.
“I want to confess one thing, I’m actually feeling really bad. There might have been a lot of signs from which people could notice since the concert started, so I’m also very sorry to you guys.
“I’m working out and trying to pick up things that I’ve left little by little. I chose this job so I need to be happy so that I can make fans happy as well,” he said in a live broadcast over social media.
Moonbin’s sister, Moon Sua, is also a K-pop singer, and the siblings had previously spoken about their dependence on each other in public interviews.
Tributes are pouring in from around the world as fans mourn the loss of the young star. The death of the musician has also led to renewed calls for greater support for mental health and wellbeing within the K-pop music industry.
South Korea has the highest rate of youth suicide among developed countries and the K-pop industry alone has seen four suicides in recent years.