Goo Hara is second young K-pop star to die since October

Nov. 24 (UPI) -- K-pop icon Goo Hara was found dead at age 28, police in South Korea said Sunday -- less than six weeks after another young female singing star from the Asian nation died.

An acquaintance discovered the former Kara singer's body in her home in Seoul around 6 p.m., Yonhap News Agency reported. Police and firefighters were notified.

The police said they are currently looking into the exact cause of and reason for the death, keeping the possibility of suicide in consideration.

The BBC reported the entertainer was hospitalized in May after a suicide attempt, but had recently been trying to focus on her music and television career.

She posted on Instagram Saturday a photo of herself in bed with the caption "Good night" written in Korean.

Goo Hara's agency, Production Ogi, urged Korean media to refrain from speculating regarding her death.

"Currently, the family members of the deceased, as well as her friends and acquaintances, are going through a tough time from psychological impact and instability," the agency wrote. "Therefore, we earnestly ask that media outlets and their related personnel, as well as the fans' condolence calls, refrain from spreading rumors or speculative reports."

Goo was a good friend of Choi Jin-ri, known as Sulli of girl group f(x), who was found dead in her home in Seongnam by police on Oct. 14 of a suspected suicide.

Goo shared photo images of herself with 25-year-old Sulli on her Instagram account, saying, "Jin-ri (will be able to) to do as she wishes in the world over there." Jin-ri is Sulli's legal name

Sulli's death sparked a closer look at her career as a musician and a feminist who was often the target of cruel Internet trolls.

Mental health experts are worried about copycat suicides. Several anti-cyber bullying bills have been introduced in the National Assembly in recent weeks.

Since Sulli's death, IU's 2012 song "Peach" -- which was reportedly inspired by her friendship with Sulli -- re-emerged at the top of streaming charts.

K-pop star Kim Jong-hyun died by suicide in 2017.

"Women are, of course, discriminated against much more partially in Korea than many other countries in the world," Andrew Eungi Kim, a professor of international studies at Korea University, told UPI earlier this month. "And bullying matters more, I think, for Korean kids and teenagers than Westerners. You can choose to be alone or different in the U.S. But here, there's a really strong stigma -- being different is something you really fear."

Goo was an advocate against cyber bullying and spoke candidly about her own battle with depression.

"Cyber bullying has been affecting Korean society a great deal as people spend more and more time on social media," Min Byeong-cheol, a professor at Hanyang University, told UPI through an interpreter. "The last few years, several celebrities and a number of students have died because of cyber bullying. A middle school student killed herself by jumping from her family's 10th-floor apartment because five of her classmates bullied her in a social media chatroom. This is a serious social issue in Korea.

Goo launched a solo music career after being a member of the five-member girl group Kara from 2008 to 2015. She appeared in films and on TV shows as well as major fashion events in Japan.

She released a Japanese single "Midnight Queen" on Nov. 13 and had a concert tour at four Japanese cities from Nov. 14-19.

Goo was involved in a revenge pornography case with her ex-boyfriend and hairdresser.

Last year, he threatened to release an intimate video of her in the wake of a breakup in an effort to end her entertainment career. He didn't leak it despite contacting news outlets over the video.

In August, he received a suspended jail term by a lower court because of the threat and other criminal behavior.