Sulli, 25-year-old K-pop star, found dead at home in Seongnam, South Korea

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By Jack Guy and Sophie Jeong, CNN

2 minute read

Updated 4:53 AM EDT, Tue October 15, 2019

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CNN —

K-pop star Sulli, formerly of the band f(x), has been found dead at her home.

The 25-year-old singer and actress was found dead by her manager on Monday afternoon local time, police told CNN.

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“So far, it seems she killed herself, but we will leave all possibilities open and investigate,” a police official said.

Sulli’s manager spoke to her on Sunday evening and went to check on her when he was unable to reach her on Monday.

The singer, whose real name is Choi Jin-ri, was found on the second floor of her house in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam, south of the capital city, Seoul.

Sulli, 25-year-old K-pop star, found dead at home in Seongnam, South Korea | CNN (19)

Sulli (far left) singing with f(x) in 2013.

Police said they found a note at the scene but have yet to analyze its content. Investigations are ongoing.

Sulli was a child actor before making her singing debut with the girl group f(x) in 2009.

She left the group in 2015 to concentrate on acting before returning to the music scene as a solo artist, releasing a single, “Goblin,” in June 2019.

Sulli also appeared on a TV show in which K-pop stars talked about receiving negative online comments, Reuters reports.

The portrait of Kim Jong-Hyun, a 27-year-old lead singer of the massively popular K-pop boyband SHINee, is seen on a mourning altar at a hospital in Seoul on December 19, 2017.The top K-pop star bemoaned feeling "broken from inside" and "engulfed" by depression in a suicide note, it emerged on December 19, as his death sent shockwaves across K-pop fans worldwide. / AFP PHOTO / pool / CHOI Hyuk (Photo credit should read CHOI HYUK/AFP/Getty Images) CHOI HYUK/AFP/AFP/Getty Images Related article Jonghyun: Fans mourn death of SHINee K-pop star

Korean pop music – or K-pop – is one of the country’s biggest exports in the past decade.

Many of its stars – known as idols – train for years, honing their singing, dancing and acting skills, while also learning other Asian languages, before they are even allowed to debut their first song.

Stars of the genre are subject to intense pressure, which has been linked to a mental health crisis in the industry.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - MAY 20: Hara of South Korean girl group KARA attends the photocall for Stella McCartney "The World Of Stella At BoonTheShop" at Boon The Shop on May 20, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage) Han Myung-Gu/WireImage/Getty Images Related article K-pop star Goo Hara found unconscious at home, sparks debate on pressures of K-pop fame

K-pop megastar Jonghyun, whose real name was Kim Jong-hyun, ended his own life in Seoul in December 2017.

And singer and actress Goo Hara, formerly part of girl band Kara, apologized to fans after being found unconscious at home in May 2019.

The singer had posted the word “Goodbye,” to her Instagram account, prompting a rush of comments from concerned fans.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct a photo caption error that misidentified Sulli.

Sophie Jeong reported from Seoul and Jack Guy wrote from London. CNN’s Jake Kwon contributed to this story.

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Sulli, 25-year-old K-pop star, found dead at home in Seongnam, South Korea | CNN (2024)