Moonbin K-Pop Astro Boy Band Kick Bucket at Age 25
Fans have expressed their sorrow over the passing of K-pop singer Moonbin, a member of the boy band Astro, according to his record company and the South Korean police on Thursday.
A representative for the National Police Agency told AFP that the 25-year-old musician was discovered dead at his residence in southern Seoul late on Wednesday. She added that there was no indication of foul play.
On Thursday, a statement from Moonbin’s record company, Fantagio Music, also confirmed his passing but did not specify what caused it.
Astro member Moon Bin abruptly left our world on April 19 and became a star in the sky, the account wrote.
People were urged to “refrain from speculative and malicious reports” so that his family may pay their respects and honor him in silence.
Thousands of mourning admirers commented on the label’s news, many of whom expressed shock.
Peace be with you, Moonbin. I wish you good fortune from the moon and the stars. One person tweeted, “I hope they give you all the love and comfort.”
“I find it difficult to concentrate on my work right now. Another person wrote, “This truly hurts.
Moon Bin, also known as Moonbin, was a performer who was a part of the group Astro as well as the duo Moonbin & Sanha.
He enrolled in the Fantagio training program at a young age and worked as a kid model and actor before making his debut with Astro in February 2016.
Moonbin & Sanha were scheduled to play at the upcoming Dream Concert, one of the biggest K-pop joint performances in South Korea, in May before he passed away.
Additionally, the group was in the midst of their Diffusion Fan Con Tour throughout Asia. On Sunday, the group debuted an official fan community page on Weverse, the world’s largest fandom site from K-pop megastars BTS’s agency HYBE.
Moonbin’s untimely demise was particularly shocking given how busy the young star was, even the week before he died, according to Jeff Benjamin, Billboard’s K-pop journalist, who spoke to AFP. “While no passing from any artist is ever to be expected, Moonbin’s sudden passing was all the more shocking given how busy the young star was, even the week of his death,” Benjamin said.
“No one near him saw this coming, but all we can keep is his undeniable smile,” he continued.
“I’ve seen its brightness compared to the wonderful music and acts the Cheshire Cat gave us in ‘Alice and Wonderland’,” the speaker said.
Ruthless Business
Underneath the sparkle and glamour, the K-pop industry is infamous for its fierce competitiveness, invasion of privacy, online bullying, and constant public pressure to uphold a clean image at all costs.
According to an unnamed police official quoted by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, the cause of Moon’s death is being investigated as an apparent suicide.
Goo Hara, who passed away in 2019, and other young K-pop celebrities have recently been thought to have committed suicide. She had been mistreated by an ex-boyfriend who, after they broke up, tried to extort her using their sex tapes.
The alleged suicide took place a month after Sulli, a K-pop star who had been struggling with online abuse, killed herself. Sulli’s death sparked calls in South Korea for harsher penalties for cybercrimes.
Sulli’s passing was reminiscent of that of fellow K-pop artist Jonghyun, who committed suicide in 2017 after struggling with depression.
One of Moon’s admirers penned, “It’s always the people who smile the most who suffer the greatest.”
“We’ll think of you when the stars shine brightly and when the sky shines beautifully.”
