--- description: South Korean singer and actor Cha In-ha, whose real name is Lee Jae-ho, was found dead in his home in the latest in a series of tragedies title: Actor Cha In-ha's Death Is Latest in String of K-Pop Tragedies image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10d47ea27da4fd14/698a06edb3fce3e1ca0c5f55/k-pop-deaths.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [South Korea](/tag/south-korea/) ## South Korea Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # South Korean Actor Cha In-ha's Death Highlights String of K-Pop Tragedies ## Video: K-Pop Star Goo Hara Found Dead in Her Seoul Home [Watch (HLS stream): K-Pop Star Goo Hara Found Dead in Her Seoul Home](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dOHLpn3b.m3u8) (1:05)  _Published 2019-11-25. K-pop star and TV celebrity Goo Hara was found dead at her home in Seoul on Sunday, police said_ by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. Dec 4, 2019 8:40 AM CUT  Fans react during the funeral of late South Korean singer Kim Jong-hyun, better known by the stage name Jonghyun, a member of South Korean K-pop group SHINee, in Seoul, South Korea on Dec. 21, 2017. Fans react during the funeral of late South Korean singer Kim Jong-hyun, better known by the stage name Jonghyun, a member of South Korean K-pop group SHINee, in Seoul, South Korea on Dec. 21, 2017.Ahn Young-joon—AP by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. Dec 4, 2019 8:40 AM CUT South Korean actor Cha In-ha was [found dead](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-kpop-idUSKBN1Y80A3?taid=5de73a0c16deae000192f068&utm%5Fcampaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm%5Fmedium=trueAnthem&utm%5Fsource=twitter "undefined") in his home, police said Wednesday, making him the third young entertainer to die in the country in the last two months. Police said the 27-year-old’s cause of death is not yet known, reports Reuters. Cha, whose real name was Lee Jae-ho, made his film debut in 2017 and was previously a member of K-pop group Surprise U, which released two albums, according to Reuters. The day before his death, the up-and-coming actor left an Instagram post urging fans to take care of themselves in the cold winter. Cha’s talent agency, Fantagio, released a statement expressing “deep mourning for his passing.” It also cautioned against spreading rumors about what had happened to him. The news about Cha comes after the recent deaths of two prominent female K-pop idols. On Nov. 24, 28-year-old [Goo Hara](https://time.com/5738167/k-pop-star-goo-hara-found-dead/ "undefined") was found dead in her Seoul home, while Sulli, 25, reportedly ended her life in October. Before her death, Sulli had spoken out about cyber bullying and the backlash she faced over her lifestyle. The string of untimely deaths has sparked conversations in the country about the intense pressure and personal attacks Korean celebrities face. While the K-pop industry projects a wholesome image on stage and on screen, it has been rocked by recent reports of sexual abuse, as well as by a series of apparent suicides. **Read More:** [_Singer Goo Hara’s Death Shines Light on the Dark Side of K-Pop_](https://time.com/5741058/dark-side-of-kpop-pressure-death/ "undefined") K-pop has gained popularity worldwide with viral sensations like [BTS](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/5567876/bts/ "undefined") and [Blackpink](https://time.com/collection/time-100-next-2019/5718842/blackpink/ "undefined") topping Billboard charts. In August, BTS announced they were going on a “[period of rest”](https://time.com/5650024/is-bts-taking-a-break/ "undefined") in order to “enjoy the ordinary lives of young people in their 20s,” according to [a statement](https://twitter.com/BigHitEnt/status/1160559009209864192?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1160559009209864192&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F5650024%2Fis-bts-taking-a-break%2F "undefined") by the group’s management company. The group has championed the topic of mental health, and spoken about how they were impacted by the suicide of mega star [Kim Jong-Hyun](https://time.com/5070662/shinee-signer-kim-jong-hyun-death/ "undefined") from the group SHINee in December 2017. After news of Cha’s death broke, fans posted condolences in several languages under his Instagram pictures. “So sad, breaks my heart,” one wrote. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5743659/cha-in-ha-k-pop-death/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5743659/cha-in-ha-k-pop-death/"},"headline":"South Korean Actor Cha In-ha's Death Highlights String of K-Pop Tragedies","datePublished":"2019-12-04T08:40:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T07:51:19.090Z","description":"The 27-year-old is the third young South Korean celebrity to die in two months","url":"https://time.com/5743659/cha-in-ha-k-pop-death/","keywords":["South Korea","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10d47ea27da4fd14/698a06edb3fce3e1ca0c5f55/k-pop-deaths.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amy Gunia","jobTitle":"Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong.","url":"https://time.com/author/amy-gunia/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10d47ea27da4fd14/698a06edb3fce3e1ca0c5f55/k-pop-deaths.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"k-pop-deaths","caption":"K-Pop Deaths","creditText":"Ahn Young-joon—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/south-korea/","name":"South Korea"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5743659/cha-in-ha-k-pop-death/","name":"South Korean Actor Cha In-ha's Death Highlights String of K-Pop Tragedies"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"K-Pop Star Goo Hara Found Dead in Her Seoul Home","description":"K-pop star and TV celebrity Goo Hara was found dead at her home in Seoul on Sunday, police said","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/dOHLpn3b/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-11-25T16:00:11.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dOHLpn3b.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5743659/cha-in-ha-k-pop-death/","duration":"PT1M5S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5743659/cha-in-ha-k-pop-death/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```