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ASTRO Member Moon Bin Dies at Age 25 in Suspected Suicide

ASTRO member Moonbin was found dead in his home in southern Seoul by his manager on Wednesday night, reports CNN. His death has sent shockwaves through the K-pop industry and its global fans alike, with many taking to Twitter to express their grief and shock.

 

 

Fantagio, the music label that represents him, confirmed the death on Thursday, saying he has “suddenly left us and became a star in the sky.”

“All ASTRO members, Fantagio colleagues, executives and employees who’ve been together for a long time are deeply mourning the deceased in such great sadness and shock,” the music label said in a statement they released on Twitter.

‘No Foul Play’ says Police

As per Gangnam police officials who spoke to CNN, the authorities believe Moon Bin had taken his own life. “No signs of foul play have been found related to this case,” police emphasized. According to South Korean outlets, they have also said: “We are currently discussing the possibility of an autopsy to determine the precise cause of death.”

 

 

If so, it wouldn’t be the first time the K-pop world had seen such a tragedy. Several K-pop idols have passed away due to suicide since 2015 such as Kim Jong-hyun, Sulli and Goo Hara.  

Kim Jong-hyun, the incredibly gifted singer-songwriter for the renowned group SHINee, passed away on December 18, 2017. The vivacious and talented Sulli, from the girl group f(x), died on October 14, 2019. It was reported she endured severe scrutiny and cyber bullying. Goo Hara, a cherished member of the girl group KARA,  faced numerous personal and professional challenges that were often exacerbated by the media and public. Her passing on November 24, 2019, underscored the urgent need for mental health support for those in the entertainment industry. Their stories are stark reminders of the intense pressures that idols face in the industry.

Mental Health in K-Pop Industry

The pressure on K-Pop artists begins even before their debut, as they undergo years of intense training, which often involves long hours, strict diets, and limited personal lives. Once they debut, the demands only intensify, with idols expected to maintain a flawless image and consistently deliver exceptional performances. This pressure to be perfect not only comes from their agencies but also from fans and the general public, with social media playing a significant role in magnifying criticism and scrutiny.

The demanding nature of the K-Pop industry can take a toll on an idol’s mental health. High levels of stress, anxiety, and depression are not uncommon.

In recent years, there has been growing awareness and concern about mental health in the K-Pop industry. Some idols have chosen to openly discuss their struggles, destigmatizing mental health issues and encouraging fans to prioritize their well-being. Moon Bin was one of them – he had openly discussed his struggles with anxiety to various media outlets. In 2019, Moonbin shared with Korean outlet Newsen that he has suffered from anxiety since he was young and took medication to manage his symptoms.

He was also not shy of taking mental health breaks.  In December 2019, he went on a hiatus. Fantagio released a statement on behalf of the singer: “We ask for your understanding in the decision to temporarily suspend activities for healthier activities in the future and we promise to provide unsparing support and do our best to help Moonbin recover his health.”

Agencies these days are increasingly recognizing the need to provide better support for their artists, including offering mental health resources and allowing for breaks when needed. These heart-wrenching incidents show how essential it is in fostering an environment where artists can thrive both professionally and personally.

Featured Image: Screengrab from TV10 Youtube coverage

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BTS KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BTS RM Shares Military Enlistment Update

RM will be the next BTS member who will enlist for military service. Kim Namjoon shared an update on his mandatory military enlistment. He also revealed that he chose to delay enlisting because of an important reason.

RM Reveals Military Enlistment Plans With J-Hope

The BTS leader shared the update during his latest Weverse Livestream. During the broadcast, RM admitted he was originally planning to enlist at the same time as J-Hope. However, he chose to postpone the enlistment in order to complete a new project.

“I was actually planning to enlist around the same time as J-Hope but I had to push it back because of this project,” he said.

The “Wild Flower” rapper then confirmed that military enlistment is still part of his plans despite the delay.

“I think I will go after I complete this,” he stated.

RM Teases New Project Before Enlisting For Military Service

Kim Namjoon did not reveal whether he is working on new music or a completely different project. However, ARMYs are already waiting for updates from the BTS rapper.

RM was recently announced as the new brand ambassador for Bottega Veneta. The brand’s creative director Matthieu Blazy confirmed the news on Instagram and the BTS leader confirmed it with his own post.

J-Hope enlisted in the 36th New Military Education Center in Wonju on April 18. RM and the rest of BTS were present to support the rapper. Jin, who was the first member to enlist, took a leave of absence to give Jung Hoseok a proper send-off.

For now, two members of BTS have enlisted for military service. RM is expected to announce his enlistment before the end of the year. Suga, who is the second eldest member, might also enlist when he finishes his solo world tour in late 2023. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.

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KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BREAKING: ASTRO Member Moonbin has Passed Away at 25

Moonbin has passed away at the age of 25. The ASTRO member died in his home and Fantagio issued a statement addressing the idol’s untimely demise.

Moonbin Found Dead In Gangnam Home

Moonbin’s manager visited his home in Gangnam-gu, Seoul and found the idol’s body on April 19 at 8:10 PM KST. The manager quickly called the police who speculated the cause of death.

ASTRO’s agency Fantagio issued a statement addressing Moonbin’s passing.

“On April 19, ASTRO member Moon Bin suddenly left us and became a star in the sky,” the statement read.

“It is incomparable to the sorrow of the bereaved families who left their beloved sons and brothers, but the members of ASTRO, fellow artists, and executives and employees of Fantagio are deeply mourning the deceased in such great grief and shock,” it continued.

The statement adds, “It is all the most heartbreaking to tell the sudden news to the fans who supported Moon Bin and gave him generous love. It is more heartbreaking because we know the heart of the deceased who always loved and thought of the fans more than anyone else.”

Fantagio Addresses Malicious Reports About Moonbin’s Death

Fantagio also asked people “to refrain from speculative reports and malicious reports” as respect for “the bereaved families.” The statement further adds that “the funeral will be held as quietly as possible.”

Moon Bin started out as a child model appearing in the TVXQ music video for their song “Balloons.” He made his acting debut in 2009’s “Boys Over Flowers” playing the young So Yi Jung. Moonbin debuted as a member of ASTRO in 2016, joining fellow actor Cha Eun Woo.

Moon Bin remained active as an actor playing lead roles in “Soul Plate”, “Mermaid Prince”, and “Mermaid Prince: The Beginning”. He is part of the ASTRO subunit Moonbin & Sanha which was scheduled for a fan con in Jakarta this May.

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KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

Former MOMOLAND Member NANCY Debuts Personal Twitter and YouTube Accounts

NANCY is officially moving forward after MOMOLAND’s disbandment. The “BBoom BBoom” singer has launched her personal Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok accounts. The launch coincides with the former MOMOLAND member’s 23rd birthday.

NANCY Debuts Personal Twitter and YouTube Accounts

NANCY celebrated her 23rd birthday on April 13, 2023, and she had an awesome treat for her fans. The former MOMOLAND member shared photos from her birthday celebration on a new Twitter account. The “Baam” singer also thanked everyone who congratulated her on her birthday.

NANCY confirmed that she is also launching a YouTube channel where she will be posting new content. The first video uploaded to the channel followed the “Banana Chacha” singer as she prepared for her birthday celebration. She also debuted a TikTok account in the same week.

NANCY is currently the most active of the previous members of MOMOLAND since the girl group announced their disbandment in February 2023. Although it is unclear whether she is planning to debut as a solo artist soon, fans are already excited about the possibility.

Remembering MOMOLAND: A Girl Group In Retrospect

MOMOLAND debuted as a seven-member girl group in November 2016. Hyebin, Yeonwoo, Jane, Nayun, JooE, Ahin, and Nancy were joined by Daisy and Taeha in 2017. The group enjoyed success for two years but Taeha and Yeonwoo left in 2019. Daisy later departed in 2020 after some conflict with MLD Entertainment.

In January 2023, MLD Entertainment confirmed that the remaining six members of MOMOLAND refused to renew their contracts. The group’s disbandment was confirmed less than a month later.

NANCY is the first former member to confirm she found a new agency. Nancy Jewel McDonie announced she signed with Aria Diamond, the new talent agency affiliated with Aria Group. She has not yet confirmed plans of releasing new music as a solo artist. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.

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BTS KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BTS Reunite With JIN For J-Hope’s Military Send-Off

J-Hope is officially enlisting for military service and didn’t have to go alone. All seven members of BTS, including JIN, reunited to give Jung Hoseok a proper send-off.

JIN Takes A Break To Reunite With BTS For J-Hope’s Military Send-Off

J-Hope enlisted in the 36th New Military Education Center in Wonju on April 18. The BTS rapper will begin five weeks of basic training at the center before receiving his station assignment.

The military service will take several months but BTS made sure to give J-Hope all the support he needs. All members of the supergroup travelled all the way to the center to show their support. Eldest member JIN, who is currently an active-duty soldier, even took a leave of absence to be with Hobi. The boys also made sure to take photos with J-Hope and posted them on the official BTS Twitter account.

It didn’t take long before the BTS members began sharing the images on their personal social media accounts. While RM went for an emotional caption, JIN poked fun at the situation with the simple caption “Next person.”

JIN may love poking fun at the other BTS members but J-Hope confirmed that his hyung is fully supportive of him. The “On The Street” rapper previously shared that Kim Seokjin reached out to him as soon as he received his notice.

“Right when I got the notice, Jin contacted me. I asked a lot of questions, and Jin gave me advice on what I needed,” J-Hope shared. Although he didn’t share details about the advice, it clearly worked as he appears ready for his military service.

JIN is the first member of BTS to enlist for military service. Kim Seokjin began his enlistment in December 2022 after promoting his solo debut single “The Astronaut.”

J-Hope will begin his military enlistment on April 18, 2023. He is expected to be discharged by October 17, 2024.

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DAWN Admits He Still Loves HyunA Despite Break Up

DAWN revealed that he still has feelings for HyunA. The rapper admitted he still loves his ex-girlfriend despite their break-up last year.

DAWN Says He Is Still ‘In Love With HyunA’

DAWN took part in the 1theK Original’s “Look Me Up” where he opened up about his relationship with HyunA. Although they have broken up in November, the “Money” rapper confirmed they continue to be supportive of each other’s careers.

“We will support each other no matter what kind of choice is made,” DAWN said. “Even now and at that time, I wanted to fully respect her choice and support her by pressing ‘Like’ (on the Instagram post announcing their breakup).”

HyunA confirmed her break up with DAWN in an emotional Instagram post in November 2022. Still, the former PENTAGON member confessed that he loves his ex-girlfriend dearly.

“I’m the same actually,” DAWN replied when asked if he still loves the former WONDER GIRLS member.

“Whether I break up with HyunA or get back with her, it doesn’t matter what we are, I just love HyunA as a person,” he added. “So, even if we take totally different paths and end up with other people in the future, I’ll still be in love with HyunA.”

DAWN further explained their rumored engagement, stating that it was a misunderstanding.

“We were not planning to get married or anything. I didn’t propose to her to get married,” he said. “It was just because I like her so much. Of course, I had the idea that she would be the person I marry if I get married in the future but at that time, I just wanted to give her a ring. I just wanted to.”

He continued, “Common sense is that if you give someone a ring, you’re engaged, it’s natural. But I’m actually lacking common sense.”

DAWN’s new single “Dear My Light” was released on April 13, 2023.

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BTS KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BTS To Perform Opening Theme of Korean Animated Series ‘Bastions’

BTS is making music for an exciting new project. The supergroup will perform the opening theme for ‘Bastions’, an upcoming South Korean animated series.

BTS Confirmed To Perform ‘Bastions’ Opening Theme

The ‘Bastions’ YouTube channel dropped a teaser for the show’s opening sequence. It features some of the characters from the animated series showing off their dance moves. The teaser also offers a snippet of the opening theme performed by BTS.

BTS joins several K-pop acts in the ‘Bastions’ soundtrack. The soundtrack includes LE SSERAFIM, Brave Girls, Heize, AleXa, Seo J, Kang Min Seo, and P. Cassady. The songs have not yet been officially revealed. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.

The opening theme for the animated show will be the first group effort for BTS this year. Their most recent group song “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” was released in June 2022 as part of the anthology album ‘PROOF’.

‘Bastions’ Opening Theme Might Be Last BTS Group Effort For Some Time

The new song might be BTS’ last group effort for some time now that two members have confirmed their military enlistment. Jin was the first BTS member to enlist back in December 2022 after releasing his debut single “The Astronaut” in October. Although he has just dropped the new single “On The Street” with J. Cole, j-hope is already preparing for military service starting April 18.

The other members Suga, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook have not yet addressed their own enlistment. Min Yoon Gi is currently set to begin his first official solo world tour while Kim Nam Joon is planning to release a second solo album. Park Jimin released his debut solo album ‘Face’ in March while Kim Taehyung appeared in the cooking-travel series “Jinny’s Kitchen”. Finally, Jeon Jungkook was the first South Korean artist to sing an official theme for the World Cup and perform at an opening ceremony for the event in 2022.

‘Bastions’ follows a group of rookie heroes who work to find the villains who are damaging the environment. As they discover the mysterious identity of a hidden villain and protect the earth, the characters will grow into true heroes. The series will premiere on May 14, 2023.

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KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BLACKPINK Confirms BORN PINK North America Encore Shows

BLACKPINK is playing more dates this year. The North American leg of the BORN PINK World Tour is getting encore shows. BLINKS now have another chance to see Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa in concert.

BLACKPINK Adds New North American Dates To BORN PINK World Tour

The official BLACKPINK Twitter account shared a teaser for the BORN PINK encore shows in North America. The teaser doesn’t reveal the new dates and locations. However, BLINKs believe they have figured out the venues based on official social media posts.

The official Los Angeles Dodgers Twitter account posted a photo of Dodger Stadium lit up in pink with “Soon…” as the caption. It is a confusing post for baseball fans but BLINKs immediately deduced it was a teaser for BLACKPINK.

For now, the official dates and venues have not been announced. However, the next teaser will reveal more details about the BORN PINK World Tour encore shows. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. Stay tuned for more updates.

In related news, the BLACKPINK members have shared their thoughts on headlining COACHELLA 2023 on April 15 and 22. Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa admitted that the gig is an exciting one.

“It feels absolutely unreal,” Rosé said. “I think performing for Coachella in 2019 was a moment that really woke us up as BLACKPINK—to be motivated, to dream on and dream big.” She added. “But we never expected anything as big as being the headliner of a festival we’ve all grown up admiring and hoping someday we could find ourselves in the crowd of.”

“It is an honor to perform as a headliner for Coachella festival; we want to show our improvement as BLACKPINK on stage — and will — so, stay tuned,” Jisoo stated.

BLACKPINK is currently on the BORN PINK World Tour. The girl group will perform as the main headliners on both Coachella festival weekends on April 15 and 22, 2023.

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BTS KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BTS’ J-Hope Logs Final Weverse Live Before Military Enlistment

J-Hope is saying goodbye to ARMYs, at least, for now. The BTS rapper logged on for a final Weverse Live before his military enlistment next week. Jung Hoseok took time to assure fans that he is preparing for his military service.

On April 13, ARMYs learned that J-Hope will begin his basic training on Tuesday, April 18. The BTS member will enlist with the New Recruit Training Center Division A in Gangwon-do. However, Hobi made sure his fans got a proper farewell before he left.

J-Hope Logs Final Weverse Live Before Military Service Next Week

In the early hours of April 15, J-Hope logged on to Weverse Live to interact with ARMYs. He read fan comments and admitted that he is no longer worried about his military enlistment.

“To be honest, I felt like ‘what do I do’ about a week ago. But now I feel okay to the point I wonder if I should feel this way. Maybe I became indifferent,” he said.

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately,” Jung Hoseok added. “I thought ‘time passes by so fast,’ that it’s already time (for me to enlist).”

J-Hope also assured ARMYS that he is taking time for himself before his enlistment. “I’ve been eating and sleeping well,” he stated.

Jung Hoseok confirmed that he received his notice for military service on March 16. He also revealed that fellow BTS member Jin reached out to him with some great advice.

“Right when I got the notice, Jin contacted me. I asked a lot of questions, and Jin gave me advice on what I needed,” J-Hope said.

Jin is the first member of BTS to enlist for military service. Kim Seokjin began his enlistment in December 2022 after promoting his solo debut single “The Astronaut.”

J-Hope will begin his military enlistment on April 18, 2023. He is expected to be discharged by October 17, 2024.

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Former NMIXX Member Jinni Signs With New Agency In Preparation for Solo Debut

Jinni is finally ready to move forward with her solo career. The former NMIXX member has signed on to a new agency UAP. The talent agency also confirmed Choi Yun Jin is currently preparing for her solo debut.

Jinni Signs On To UAP In Preparation For Solo Debut

Sublime Artist Agency issued an official statement about their MOU (Memorandum Of Understanding) with UAP (United Artist Production). The statement confirms that Sublime with collaborate with Jinni’s new agency on the former NMIXX member’s management.

“Jinni recently signed an exclusive contract with UAP, and through our management MOU collaboration, our agency will be carrying out her management on their behalf,” the statement read.

“We plan to give our unsparing support to UAP artist Jinni’s global activities so that she can fully display her wide array of hidden potential, and we are delighted to be able to work together,” it continued.

Jinni Launches Sophisticated New Look In UAP’s Artist Profile

UAP also released a new profile for Jinni on the agency’s official Instagram account. The image features Choi Yun Jin with a sophisticated new look. It confirms that the young artist is ready to take control of her solo career.

Jinni debuted with NMIXX in February 2022 and immediately became a fan favorite. She later announced her departure from the group and JYP Entertainment in December 2022.

Cho Yun Jin launched a new Instagram account in March. The new social media account immediately had netizens wondering if the former NMIXX member is teasing her solo debut. Luckily, it was only a matter of time before Jinni signed on to UAP.

For now, UAP and Sublime have not yet shared details about Jinni’s solo debut. However, there will be updates on the young artist’s new music in the next few weeks. Check this space for more updates on this story.

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