Foul play ruled out in Goo Hara's death, police find 'pessimistic' note in her home

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A memorial altar of K-pop star Goo Hara at the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital on Nov 25, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS/GETTY IMAGES

Former Kara member Seungyeon could not believe the news on Sunday (Nov 24).

She rushed to the home of Goo Hara, her bandmate in the South Korean girl group, after she heard that Goo, 28, was found dead in her Seoul home at about 6pm, reported the allkpop portal.

Her shocked reaction mirrors the bewilderment felt by many other K-pop fans, with the incident - the police have ruled out foul play - coming in the wake of the death of singer Sulli on Oct 14.

Sulli, 25, a former member of girl group f(x), was found dead at home. An autopsy has ruled out foul play but results of drug and toxicology tests are still pending.

Goo's death seemed at odds with recent news that she was on the path to recovery after she was found unconscious at home in May.

As the South Korean public once again mourn the loss of another artist, and as calls to further clamp down on abusive netizens are raised again, the immediate task now is to let Goo's family and fans pay their last respects.

Her agency said fans can turn up at a wake from Monday (Nov 25) to Wednesday (Nov 27) at The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St Mary's Hospital.

Her family will have their wake at the Gangnam Severance Hospital.

The police said they have found a "pessimistic" note at Goo's home, which they believe could be from her.

They will verify its contents and evaluate if the note can be considered her will.

The authorities, who said Goo got home at 12.35am on Sunday based on CCTV footage, have not decided whether an autopsy should be conducted.

As the police get to the bottom of the matter, other K-pop artists are suspending their activities for now.

Boy band EXO, for example, are putting on hold their marketing campaign for their upcoming album.

Goo, who entered show business in 2008 as a member of Kara, was trying to fly solo at home and in Japan in the last three years.

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She hit turbulence in her private life, leading to her filing in September 2018 of a lawsuit against a former boyfriend over assault and illegal filming of their intimate moments.

In August, he was given a suspended jail term.

In May, Goo was found unconscious in what was interpreted as a suicide attempt.

But even as she fought her own personal demons, she made sure that other artists did not have to go through any turmoil alone, reported the Soompi portal.

After Goo's death was announced, rapper DinDin shared a photo of Goo and wrote: "Hara, when I slowly started receiving more attention, you worried about me and told me to contact you if I ever went through a hard time.

"You were so beautiful and radiant, and I'm sorry that I wasn't able to do anything for you and couldn't be of any help. I'm truly sorry.

"I should have helped you in at least some small way, and I'm really sorry."

Actress Park Min-young also shared several photos of herself with Goo and wrote: "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to be with you on your final path. Take care on your journey."

But what pushed Goo to the limit this time is puzzling given that she had just finished a tour of Japan from Nov 14 to 19.

And she had posted photos of herself with other celebs, looking happy and bubbly.

In October, she and BigBang singer G-Dragon spent time together after his military discharge.

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