South Korean actress found dead in apparent suicide

Sunday February 11, 6:44 AM

A South Korean actress apparently hanged herself, police said, less than three weeks after another female Korean performer committed suicide.

The deaths sparked concern of copycat deaths in South Korea, which has the highest suicide rate among the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Jeong Da-Bin, 27, was found dead in the bathroom of her boyfriend's apartment in southern Seoul, police said.

She has apparently succumbed to a bout of depression as she was suffering from lack of work in recent months, her boyfriend told journalists.

"She came to my place last night. She was badly drunk. I woke up in the morning and found her hanged from a towel in the bathroom," the boyfriend said.

"She was under a lot of stress as she was unable to find work in recent months," he said.

After making her debut in 2000 as a television actress, she received a series of top awards for her performance in comedies and dramas in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

But she was unable to find roles since her last appearance in a television drama in September 2005.

She left postings on her Internet homepage that seem to hint what might happen to her. "I was so angry without any reason. I felt I was dying of stress.... My Lord, are you waiting for me?," she wrote.

If confirmed, Jeong's death would be the second suicide case involving a South Korean celebrity in less than three weeks.

Yuni, a female pop singer, was found hanged in her home in Incheon City on January 21. Her death shocked fans, who were waiting for the release of her third album.

The National Statistical Office said South Korea had the highest suicide rate among OECD members, as 24.7 in every 100,000 South Koreans committed suicide in 2005.

It was followed by Hungary with 22.6 and Japan with 20.3 people.