New Delhi: Korean singer Choi Sung-bong was found dead at his home on Tuesday morning a day after he shared a note on YouTube. The singer shot to fame after being the runner up in Korea's Got Talent. Choi Sung-bong had faked cancer a few years ago. As per a report, the South Korean Police found him dead on Tuesday morning at his home in the Yeoksam-dong district of Seoul at 9.41 am.
A note was uploaded by the singer a day before on his YouTube channel which read, "I sincerely apologize to all who suffered from my foolish mistake." It added that all donations were returned. As per the police, Choi Sung-bong died by suicide.
Choi Sung-bong had become a centre of controversy in 2011 when he falsely claimed that he was fighting against multiple cancers. Following this, he received a large amount of money for sponsorship. Later, Sung-bong accepted his misdeed and promised to return the donations he received. As quoted by a Naver article, he had said, "I sincerely and deeply apologise for causing social upheaval and great disappointment regarding the controversy over the authenticity of Choi Seong-bong's false cancer battle reported in the media. All diagnoses of thyroid cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, lung, liver, and kidney metastasis, excluding major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, are false."
Sung-bong was abandoned as a child and spent a major chunk of his childhood in an orphanage. He ran away from the orphanage to escape physical abuse and started living in Daejeon. Sung-bing learnt music from Jeong-So Park and graduated from Dae-Jeon Art High School.
During his Korea's Got Talent stint, he had introduced himself as a manual labourer who made a living by selling gum and energy drinks for ten years. His performance clip was shared on YouTube and received appreciation from Justin Bieber, Jung-Hwa Um and others.
(Please do not hesitate to get in touch with the local mental health professional if you or someone you know is in need of help.)