Goo Hara's Heartbreaking Last Message To Sulli (& More Korean Star Deaths That Shocked The World)
By Elizabeth Liew & Atika Lim -
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Just 41 days after K-pop star Sulli tragically took her own life, her close friend Goo Hara was found dead at 6pm (SGT) by her housekeeper in her apartment in Cheongdam, Gangnam, Seoul. The 28-year-old's shocking death comes about six months after she was found unconscious at home in May, after a suspected suicide attempt.
The former KARA girl group member left a "pessimistic" handwritten suicide note, according to Lee Yong-pyo, commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, which was discovered on her living room table. CCTV footage confirmed that she returned home at about 11.35am (SGT).
Fans had been hopeful that Hara was bouncing back onto the scene, as she had recently released a new Japanese single, "Midnight Queen", on November 13. Just barely a week ago, she had uploaded a photo and video from a show in Tokyo, writing, "It's been a good memory. Thank you all" in Japanese.
On retrospect, her final Instagram post may have been a telling sign of Hara's mental state before her death. It shows the singer lying on her side in bed, staring straight into the camera, with a short but poignant caption: Good night.
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A post shared by 구하라 (@koohara__) on Nov 22, 2019 at 10:04am PST
"Sulli, I'm Sorry"
The star had been deeply affected by the passing of her best friend Sulli, who took her own life in October this year. Hara reveals that the pair were close as sisters. After the news broke, Hara made a heart-wrenching Instagram Live video to bid farewell to Sulli, choking back tears as she apologised that she couldn't be there to send her off as she was in Japan promoting her new music.
You can watch the two-minute clip below:
Her death comes as a huge shock to fans, as in the video above she promised to "live hard and work hard" for Sulli.
Like Sulli, Hara also suffered from depression and cyber bullying. In addition, she was locked in a legal battle against ex-boyfriend Choi Jong-Beom, who had assaulted and blackmailed the late singer with revenge porn by threatening to release a sex tape to ruin her career. Her agency terminated her contract earlier this year. (He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years' probation.)
We send our deepest condolences to family and friends of Hara during this difficult time.
Depression And The K-Pop World
Sadly, depression-linked deaths are not a new phenomenon in the K-pop world (or in the world, period) and Goo Hara isn't the first Korean celebrity to have taken their own life after battling the disease.
A 2009 research paper by actress Park Jin-hee revealed that 40 per cent of Korean talents are considering or have considered suicide due to "unprotected privacy, malicious comments, unstable incomes and anxiety about the future".
Read on to find out about the other Korean celebrities who tragically died by suicide:
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10 Powerful Quotes From Celebrities Who Have Battled Mental Health Issues
On October 14, 2019, just four days after World Mental Health Day, South Korean singer and actress Choi Jin-ri (or Sulli as she was better known) was found dead at her home in Seongnam, south of Seoul.
The 25-year-old star, who had recently made her solo debut in July, was reportedly discovered dead on the second floor of her home by her manager, who had been unable to contact her since their phone call the previous evening.
According to the police, Sulli has been battling with severe depression. In 2016, the former f(x) member was hospitalised for a wrist injury, which led to major speculation that she had slit her wrists in an attempted suicide. The star was also a victim of cyber-bullying, which she cites as the main reason why she quit the girl group.