TOP ‘HALLYU’ STAR PARK YONG-HA COMMITS SUICIDE

The late Park Yong-ha

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Staff reporter

Popular actor and singer Park Yong-ha, 33, was found dead at home in southern Seoul Wednesday morning after apparently killing himself, the latest in a series of suicides by top celebrities.

Park, one of the top “hallyu” (Korean wave) stars, was found by his mother hanging from a camcorder charger cable in his room early Wednesday morning, police and family members said. His brother-in-law told reporters that he left no suicide note.

“He was found dead at around 5:30 a.m. There was no suicide note. Please pray for him to rest in peace,” he said in a press briefing at St. Mary’s Hospital in southern Seoul where Park’s body was taken.

The previous night Park had repeatedly said “sorry” to his family while giving a massage to his father who is battling stomach cancer, according to police.

His fellow actors said that he had been agonizing over his father’s illness.

Police suspected that Park hung himself on the spur of the moment at around 4 a.m. after drinking, though the reason for the suicide was unclear. “He seemed to be under stress because of his father’s cancer and keeping pace with both business and entertainment work,” an officer said during a press conference. “He did not have any financial or health problems such as depression.”

He added that Park’s call history on his cell phone had been deleted but text messages remained, but declined to provide details.

The officer said that as he obviously committed suicide, an autopsy – opposed by the family – would not be performed.

Park made his debut in 1994 in MBC’s Theme Theater and appeared in several dramas and movies. He rose to stardom in Korea and Japan after starring in the megahit “Winter Sonata” with Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo in 2002.

He was also a popular singer in Japan where fans reacted with shock to his death. Tokyo Broadcasting System aired a one-hour special program on Park Wednesday.

Park made his debut as a singer there in 2003 and released several hit albums including “Once in a Summer” in 2009 which ranked sixth on the Oricon daily chart and 14th on the weekly version.

He won Japan Gold Disc Awards for “Best Asian Artist” in 2007 and 2008.

In 2008, Park established his own agency titled Yona Entertainment and made a successful comeback to Korea through the drama “On Air,” playing the role of a television producer. He also starred in the movie “Scam” and the drama “The Slingshot” in 2009.

Park had been cast as a main character in the new drama “Love Song” with Yoon Eun-hye, which would have started filming soon. He had also scheduled a concert tour of Japan from June 24 to September and had played one gig in Saitama last Saturday.

A number of entertainers have killed themselves one after another in the late 2000s.

On Feb. 22, 2005, actress Lee Eun-ju committed suicide over her family’s financial problems. Actress Jeong Da-bin and singer Yuni took their own lives in 2007, as did actor Ahn Jae-hwan in 2008.

Also in 2008, iconic actress Choi Jin-sil’s suicide shocked the nation as she was famous for portraying a bright image.

These suicides of entertainers prompted copycats in what is known as the “Werther Effect.”

koreatimes / June 30, 2010 18:02

ACTOR HANGS HIMSELF FROM BEDPOST

Actor and singer Park Yong-ha, 33, was found dead in his apartment in Nonhyeon, Seoul, at 5:30 a.m. yesterday by his mother, Euh, 56, presumably from suicide.

According to a statement by Gangnam police yesterday, Park killed himself “on an impulse”, hanging himself from a bedpost in his bedroom with the cord of a camcorder charger around 4:00 a.m. There was no suicide note found at the scene or on his computer.

Park’s father, Park Seung-in, has been battling terminal stomach cancer since being diagnosed late last year, which close friends said made Park “very troubled”.

Park Seung-in, 62, told police that his son came to his room the previous night with “tears in his eyes, saying ‘I should be the one who’s sick, not you. I’m sorry, I’m sorry’.”

Earlier, Park had met with a close business associate surnamed An for a drink around 9 p.m., but was not “overly intoxicated” when he returned home at 10 minutes past midnight.

“After examining Park’s financial and business records, Park had no outstanding reasons to commit suicide”, Gangnam police spokesman Kwak Jeong-ki said. “There was nothing to rule that he was suffering from depression. We feel that Park killed himself due to overall stress from his career, business and family situation”.

After his debut in 1994, Park rose to fame in 2002 playing Kim Sang-hyeok in the Korean serial drama “Winter Sonata“. He was instantly popular in Japan, where he made his debut as a singer in 2004.

In February, Park and his father established a talent management company, YONA Entertainment, which became a source of stress for the young actor. One of its workers mismanaged funds, an entertainment industry source said. Park was also paying his father’s medical bills and household expenses, because his parents are unemployed. According to the source, his father had fallen into debt, which Park was struggling to pay off.

The actor said on his Twitter account back in April: “I’ve been using sleep medication for 14 years now, and it hasn’t been good”.

Throngs of teary celebrities, family and friends paid their respects to Park at the St. Mary’s Hospital funeral hall in Gangnam, where his sister, brother-in-law and cousin received condolences. Park’s mother was hospitalized after losing consciousness from the shock of her son’s death.

“[Park’s body] arrived at 7:20 this morning and there have been crowds of people here all day”, said a worker at the hall who asked for anonymity. “His funeral service is to be held on Friday at 8 a.m”.

Park was recently cast with actress Yoon Eun-hye in an upcoming melodrama series and had been scheduled to fly to Japan in August for another concert tour.

By Christine Kim, Song Ji-hye

hancinema / June 30, 2010

ACTOR PARK YONG-HA FOUND DEAD IN APPARENT SUICIDE

Actor Park Yong-ha [NOA Entertainment]

Singer and actor Park Yong-ha was found dead at his home today morning after apparently committing suicide, according to a police source.

Gangnam Police Station said Park’s mother found the 32-year-old celebrity hanging himself by from the cord of his mobile phone charger at around 5:30 a.m.

Police have yet to announce the details to Park’s death — they are investigating into the cause behind his suicide based on testimonies by his family.

A source close to the actor said Park had been having a hard time coping with his father’s illness. “He had much filial love for his parents. I heard his father, suffering from a chronic disease, was recently moved home from the hospital”.

Park’s body has been placed at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital.

Park, 32, gained popularity throughout Asia after appearing in “Winter Sonata“, a drama that first started the Hallyu craze, alongside top actors Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo.

He has also led a successful singing career in Japan where he has placed several albums within the top 10 ranks of the Oricon charts and won four consecutive Japan Gold Disc Awards.

Most recently, he had been set to star in the small screen adaptation “Love Song – Drama” of legendary Hong Kong pic “Comrades, Almost a Love Story”, across actress Yoon Eun-hye.

A major Hollywood studio had shown interest in the series which was revving up to go into shoot around late July and air in Korea at the end of the year.

Reporter : Lim Hye-seon lhsro@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

Source : 10.asiae.co.kr/Articl… ( English Korean )

10.asiae / hancinema / June 30, 2010

PARK YONG-HA DISCOVERED DEAD AT HOME

Breaking news: Park Yong-ha was discovered dead at his Nonhyun-dong, Seoul, home on the morning of June 30. I’ll update with details if/as they become available.

I am in utter shock. WHAT?

Park Yong-ha died at the age of 32, having debuted fifteen years ago in youth shows like KBS’s 1995 Love Blossoms in the Classroom and 1996′s Start. He shot to fame with 2002′sWinter Sonata, which made him a household name and a “Hallyu star.” He used that fame as a springboard a singing career in Japan, where he enjoyed quite a lot of popularity. He had a successful drama hit in 2008′s On Air, and totally stole my heart in 2009′s Story of a Man, which is one of my favorite dramas EVER.

Most recently, Park Yong-ha was cast alongside Yoon Eun-hye in the high-profile drama remake of Hong Kong film Tian Mi Mi, tentatively titled Love Song.

This is just… awful. Horrible and unexpected. Currently they are not ruling this a suicide, but that’s the foremost presumption.

UPDATE

• The evening prior to his death (29th), Park missed a meeting with drama producers for his upcoming project Love Song. His manager couldn’t get in contact with him.
• One producer said that they had seen Park occasionally in a down mood, but attributed it to news of Park’s father suffering from cancer. His father recently moved back home from the hospital after his stomach cancer was deemed late-stage.
• Park reportedly died from hanging. He was found by his mother in his room with a cell phone cord around his neck.
• Around 12:40 am, he was with his father, massaging his father’s legs. Park told him “I’m sorry” over and over. He then went into his room, where he was found in the morning.
• Producers of Love Song are “in panic mode” because Park’s passing leaves them without a lead. Yeah, eff you producers.
• Park had said in an interview that he suffered from depression, which was exacerbated by prolonged promotional activities abroad.
• One friend says, “There’s no way to know the real reason, but when I met Park a few months ago, he seemed depressed.” His father’s illness made things worse.
• Park’s Story of a Man co-star Park Shi-yeon (currently acting in Coffee House) reportedly received a “huge shock” from the news and “is in very bad condition.” She is so distraught that there’s concern she won’t be able to continue filming.
• Park Shi-yeon spoke with Park on the phone yesterday, but thought he sounded normal.
• And the media frenzy begins. That photo is from outside Park’s home.
• The parade of celebrity visits is also just beginning, with stars coming to pay their respects to Park, whose body was transferred to a Kangnam hospital. It’s morning in Korea now, and this will likely continue all day. I won’t be posting on it, but you can rest assured there’ll be plenty of media there as well.
• His death is even more perplexing because he had made plans to meet friends later in the day.
• Park’s last phone call (or one of his last) was reportedly with DBSK’s Hero Jaejoong, with whom he’d grown closer as he gave the latter advice about pursuing singer activities in Japan. Jaejoong is currently recording in the U.S. and said, “I spoke with him on the phone yesterday, and his voice sounded so bright. I didn’t feel he was at all different from his normal self. We agreed to have a drink together when I got back to Korea. I’m in such shock.”
• Park’s last twitter message was posted Saturday the 26th (http://twitter.com/yonaaaaaa) and was about the World Cup. “We lost. But they did well. clap clap clap~ Everyone, let’s clap with warm hears for our national soccer team, who return with heavy steps. Good job!!”
• Park had just come back from a tour in Japan. The day before that (the 25th), he tweeted, “How could they know to come to the airport and see me, and at such a late hour? ^^ I didn’t tell anyone but how could they know? keke. Impressive~ Anyway, thank you for coming to see me!! Tomorrow at the concert I’ll have to ask, ‘Who came to the airport yesterday?~~’ keke See you tomorrow ^^”
• In an interview last year while promoting his movie The Scam, Park said, “I’ve suffered from insomnia for the last ten years. I’m rather sensitive. If something bothers me I can’t sleep until it’s resolved.” He added, “I’m envious of people who can sleep well. I think sleep is needed for good mental health.”

dramabeans / hancinema / June 30, 2010

PARK YONG-HA COMMITS SUICIDE

Shocking news has swept over fans everywhere. Park Yong-ha‘s mother found Park dead in his room on the 30th.

The Seoul police department is trying to figure out exactly what happened.

He had gained a lot of popularity for his drama “Winter Sonata” and “On Air”.

This is shocking to all fans everywhere. Best wishes for Park’s family.

Source : news.nate.com/view/20… ( Korean )

hancinema / nate /