SEOUL (THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - "Little Psy" has died of brain cancer at the age of 12 on Tuesday, according to Chinese reports.
The cancer-stricken Jun Min Woo was sent to a local hospital in the Jilin province of China for trouble breathing on Monday before his death.
The boy rose to viral fame in Korea over four years ago through the Zhejiang TV talent show Chinese Dream Show, where he gave a rousing performance of Gangnam Style. After he was diagnosed with brain stem glioma in August 2014, Min Woo visited Korea to receive chemo treatment.
Rounds of support from Korean fans ensued immediately after an episode of SBS TV show Curious Story Y revealed his suffering in November 2014. Global music superstar Psy invited Min Woo to his year-end Seoul concert in December 2014.
His health condition, however, took a turn for the worse in May 2015.
Min Woo and his family decided to return to their hometown in July 2015 to continue stay-at-home treatment until his death.
Some Korean local reports confused Min Woo with Hwang Min Woo, the son of a Korean father and Vietnamese mother, in reporting Min Woo's health. Hwang is another child prodigy with the "Little Psy" nickname, since the 10-year-old child appeared in the music video for Psy's Gangnam Style.
Born a Chinese citizen of Korean ethnicity in Jilin province, Min Woo garnered a reputation as "Little Psy" after performing on SBS reality show Star King in 2011 and Chinese Dream Show.
