K-pop singer Choi Sung Bong dies by suicide

SEOUL: Korean singer Choi Sung Bong is reported to have died by suicide and was found in the Yeoksam-dong district of Seoul at 9.41 a.m. on Tuesday morning (local time). He was 33 years old.

His death comes just two years after his lie about having multiple types of cancer was exposed when he had asked several fans to donate cash for his treatment. He later apologised for the deception and promised to return all of the donations.

According to Daily Mail, Police believe that he died by suicide due to a note he posted on his YouTube channel the day before his death in which he apologised for his "foolish mistakes". In it, he thanked his fans for their support to his career, as he wrote: "From 2011 to the present, I have been receiving attention and love from so many people. I sincerely thank you and express my gratitude."

He went on to apologise for the 2021 scam: "I am sincerely sorry for my foolish mistakes and those who have suffered damage, and I have repeatedly made mistakes. For the past two years, we have returned all those who have asked for a return of donations."

The South Korean singer who shot to fame in 'Korea's Got Talent', which was broadcast by tvN got particular praise for his operatic rendition of Ennio Morricone's 'Nella Fantasia', which impressed the judges and made him advance all the way to the finals, eventually coming in second place by just 280 votes.

The YouTube clip of his performance on the show went viral and was viewed over 21 million times. K-pop stars such as BoA and Jung-Hwa Um were also wowed by it, and promoted it on social media.

Choi was even praised by Justin Bieber in his Facebook page, with the pop star writing: "This is awesome. Never say never, and good luck to this kid. Great story."

After his stint on the talent show, he released a number of singles, including 'Slowcoach' in 2016, 'Tonight' in 2021 and 'I PRAY' in 2022.