SOUTH KOREA: Moonbin, a South Korean singer and a member of the K-pop boy band Astro, passed away at the age of 25, his record label, Fantagio, said on Thursday.
The record company released a statement saying, “Members of Astro and fellow artists and staff at Fantagio are deeply saddened and shocked as we mourn him.”
Moonbin worked as a child actor and model before making his debut in the boy band Astro in 2016. He had been performing with Sanha, another Astro member, in a duo since 2020. He was slated to perform as a part of the sub-group Moonbin & Sanha at a concert in the southern city of Busan the following month.
The K-pop star was found dead at his residence in Seoul’s Gangnam district, and suicide was suspected, as reported by local media.
His manager found him unresponsive at his flat in Seoul on Wednesday night, according to police, who were cited by South Korean media.
The police stated, “He appears to have taken his own life, but an autopsy is being reviewed to determine the exact cause of death.”
In South Korea, after the news of Moonbin’s passing, “all idols” trended on Twitter. All of Astro’s members are expected to reunite in Seoul on Thursday for Moonbin’s wake, the label Fantiago said.
“I hope all idols can chase their dreams without feeling heartbroken,” says one tweet.
Moonbin’s death became the most searched topic on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media network, on Thursday morning, as many users compared the news to the recent deaths of other young South Korean popstars.
In 2018, Minwoo of the boy band 100% passed away at his residence, with his record label merely saying that he had experienced a cardiac attack. In 2017, Kim Jong-hyun, the lead singer of SHINee, one of South Korea’s biggest boy bands, passed away at the age of 27 in an apparent suicide.
In South Korea, suicide is one of the main causes of death for young people. The nation has the highest rate of youth suicide among the wealthy countries in the OECD.
Although the nation’s overall suicide rate is declining, the number of deaths among people in their 20s is increasing. The government is attempting to significantly reduce Korea’s high suicide rates, which plague the country’s hypercompetitive society.
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