SEOUL • When Goo Ha-ra's manager could not contact her despite repeated phone calls, he went to her home. He found the former member of South Korean girl group Kara unconscious on the floor.

There were reports by Korean media that the room she was in was filled with smoke. Goo, 28, who was rushed to hospital early yesterday, is said to be in a stable condition but has yet to regain consciousness.

Earlier, netizens voiced their concern after the singer posted messages on Saturday that dwelled on issues of betrayal and self-doubt.

In one message, she revealed that she appeared "fine on the outside, but it feels as if I am starting to break into pieces inside".

Goo, who has appeared in television dramas, has been in the news recently over a tiff with ex-boyfriend Choi Jong-bum, 41. She said he assaulted and blackmailed her. He, in turn, accused her of assault, releasing photos of scratches on his face.

In a hearing in April over charges that included threats to release sex videos, he said the bruises on her limbs resulted from him trying to calm her down during a heated quarrel.

He denied that he had used photographs of Goo with bruises to force the chief executive of her agency to kneel before him.

Choi admitted, however, that he was responsible for property damage during the altercation.

Goo's hospitalisation has drawn sympathy from netizens. One, justtryinghere, posted that the singer must have also been affected by those who called her an attention-seeker.

"Taunted by her boyfriend, then taunted by the people she tried to warn about her pain. I hope she has good people to protect her going forward," the writer shared.