South Korean Actor Song Yoo-jung Found Dead at 26

26-year-old female Korean actor, Song Yoo-jung, was found dead on Saturday in Seoul, South Korea. Her death was confirmed in a statement by the company that represented her, Sublime Artist Agency.

The agency, however, did not disclose the cause. The suddenness of Song’s death follows a series of suicides which have plagued Korean pop music in recent years.

The issue of the pressure imposed by South Korean management companies on young entertainers has been brought to light on several occasions. Many of these artists are groomed in starting as teenagers to be pop idols. Their looks are closely examined, and their lives are often broadcast on social media platforms. All of this exposes them to both explicit fan mails and hateful comments.

Most of these stars start to find themselves losing popularity by the time they reach the late 20s.

A number of the K-pop stars who have taken their own lives spoke of struggles with their mental health and the toll of cyberbullying. However, Song, who was an up-and-coming actress, never publicly mentioned such issues.

About Song Yoo-jung

Song began her acting career at 20 by appearing in commercials for Estée Lauder skincare products and for the ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins. Her breakout role was in 2019, in a web series called Dear My Name. She played a fresh-faced architecture student with a pixie cut, searching for her soul mate. Song has also acted in music videos.

She was an advocate for people with disabilities and served as an ambassador for a South Korean group called Warm Accompaniment.

Celebrity suicides have been in the South Korean news media over the past decade or more. Over the past few years, attention has fallen most sharply on deaths in the K-pop industry.