E-Paper
Song Yoo-jung, South Korean actress and model, dies at 26
Apart from her acting and modeling career, she was a vocal advocate for people with disabilities and also the ambassador for a South Korean group called Warm Accompaniment.
South Korean actress Song Yoo-jung, 26, was found dead on Saturday in Seoul, South Korea. The death of the actress who appeared in several television dramas was confirmed in a statement by her management company, Sublime artist agency, which said that the actress died suddenly and that her funeral was held quietly on Monday in accordance with her family's wishes. Although no cause of death was given by her agency, it has been widely alleged that the actress died by suicide.
Song began her acting career at the age of 20 as a cosmetics model when she appeared in commercials for Estee Lauder skin products and for ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins. She made her K-drama debut in MBC's Golden Rainbow in 2013. In 2014, she also starred in the drama Make your wish. In 2017, she appeared in the drama School 2017. She also appeared in the music video Goodbye Road by the K-pop band iKON. Her breakout role was in 2019 in a web series called “Dear My Name.”
Apart from her acting and modeling career, she was a vocal advocate for people with disabilities and also the ambassador for a South Korean group called Warm Accompaniment.
The South Korean entertainment industry has seen deaths of a number of young stars in recent years. In 2020, actress-model Oh In-hye died at 36 and Yohan, a member of the K-pop band TST, died at 28. In 2019, Sulli, 25, K-pop star, took her own life after relentless cyberbullying after she joined a feminist campaign. In 2017, a singer, Kim Jong-hyun, 27, killed himself after leaving a note saying that he was in depression.
The country’s suicide rate is currently 10th highest in the world according to the World Health Organisation, as well as the second highest suicide rate in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development after Lithuania.
