K-pop star found dead aged 25

He appears to have taken his own life

Police in South Korea issued a statement saying: "He appears to have taken his own life but an autopsy is being reviewed to determine the exact cause of death."

Moonbin was widely known for being part of popular boy band Astro which he joined aged 18 after working as an actor and a model.

Since 2020, he had been performing with another Astro member Sanha in a duo.

The pair had been in the middle of a world tour and their last performance was in Bangkok on 8th April.

Record label Fantiago said all of Astro's members were returning to Seoul on Thursday to gather for Moonbin's wake.

The statement from the label also asked people to "refrain from speculative and malicious reports" so that Moonbin's family could pay their respects in peace.

South Korea has the highest rate of youth suicide among developed countries. While its overall suicide rate is falling, deaths of those in their 20s are rising. The K-pop industry alone has seen four suicides in recent years.

At a recent concert, while on the "Diffusion" tour with Sanha to promote the duo's latest EP record, Moonbin told fans that he had been going through a difficult time, Korean broadcaster SBS reported.

"I want to confess one thing, I'm actually feeling really bad. There might have been a lot of signs from which people could notice since the concert started, so I'm also very sorry to you guys.

"I'm working out and trying to pick up things that I've left little by little. I chose this job so I need to be happy so that I can make fans happy as well," he said in a live broadcast over social media.

The duo was set to perform in Macau this Saturday, followed by Indonesia and Japan in May.

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