K-pop diva Goo Ha-ra found dead at her home
Goo Ha-ra, a K-pop diva and member of girl band KARA, was found dead Sunday at her home, police said.
An acquaintance of the 28-year-old found her dead at around 6 p.m. at her home in Seoul's Gangnam Ward and notified the police and firefighters, the police said.
The police said they are currently looking into the exact cause of and reason for the death, keeping the possibility of suicide in consideration.
Goo debuted in 2008 as a member of the female K-pop band, which enjoyed sensational popularity before the band went on hiatus about a decade later.
Goo expanded her K-pop career by going solo, also branching out into acting and reality shows, but she put her entertainment career on hold late last year when she became entangled in a revenge pornography case with her ex-boyfriend.
The former lover, a hairdresser, threatened Goo with releasing an intimate video of her in September last year as the two fought in the wake of a breakup.
The man said he would circulate the video "to end (her) entertainment career" and contacted news outlets over the video, although he eventually did not leak it.
In August, he was given a suspended jail term by a lower court on account of the threat and other criminal behavior.
The case led to intense online rumors and hate comments against Goo, causing her to brave the media on her way to a police interrogation.
In May, She made news headlines after being found unconscious at her home following a suicide attempt.
In an interview with a Japanese magazine later the same month, she said, "I am recovering. ... I had been in agony over a number of overlapping issues. ... But from now on, I will steel my heart and try to be healthy."
Goo's sudden death came less than two months after the death of another young K-pop diva, Sulli. The 25-year-old actress and member of female band f(x) was found dead at her home in mid-October in an apparent suicide, sending a shock wave through the country.
In the years before her death, Sulli had been the subject of intense online hate comments.
The two were known to be close friends, and Goo mourned Sulli's death by sharing photo images of herself with Sulli on her Instagram account, saying, "Jin-ri (will be able to) to do as she wishes in the world over there." Jin-ri is Sulli's legal name.
Goo recently resumed her music career, releasing a Japanese single, "Midnight Queen," in the Japanese music market on Nov. 13 and staging a concert tour covering four Japanese cities from Nov. 14-19.
by KICN news ho-jin lee
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