Kim Jeong-hwan, known as Yohan in the Korean pop group TST, has died aged 28.
TST’s record label, KJ Entertainment confirmed the news, saying: “We are sad to relay the most unfortunate, sorrowful news. On June 16, TST member Yohan left this world. The late Yohan’s family is currently in deep mourning.” The cause of death has not been announced.
Yohan entered the K-pop scene in 2013 with the group NOM (No Other Man),and in 2017 joined the six-piece group TST, who reached the South Korean Top 30 with their EPs Time’s Up and Wake Up.
He is the latest K-pop star to die young in recent years. In 2015, girl-group hopeful Ahn So-jin died after falling from the 10th storey of a building. The hugely popular Kim Jong-hyun, a member of the band SHINee, killed himself in 2017, while Goo Hara and Sulli, two girl-group singers and actors, took their own lives six weeks apart in 2019 having been subjected to serious online abuse.
In December, Cha In Ha, another singer who also had a promising acting career, died suddenly aged 27, with the cause of death kept private.
• In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In South Korea, the Korea Suicide Prevention Centre’s number is 82 2-2203-0053 and its email address is spc@spckorea.or.kr. Other international suicide helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
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