Song Jae-lim Dead: Korean Actor Was 39

South Korean actor Song Jae-lim was found dead at his home in Seoul on Tuesday. He was 39.

Police sources said Song’s body was found in Seoul’s Seongdong district around 12:30 p.m. by a friend who had plans to have lunch with the actor, according to Korean media reports.

The cause of death was not disclosed, but the sources said there were no obvious signs of foul play. A note was found at the scene.

Song (whose name is also written as Song Jae-rim) made his debut in the 2009 film ‘Actresses’. His popularity rose with his role as a warrior loyal to the king in the 2012 drama ‘Moon Embracing the Sun’, in which he appeared in twenty episodes. He later became even more popular when he appeared on the 2014 reality show.We are married.” According to the Internet Movie Database, he appeared in 38 episodes.

One of Song’s last appearances was a starring role in the action comedy ‘Get Rich’, directed by Yang Tae-jin. Post-production is believed to have begun in late September.

The actor’s family told Yonhap News Agency that they wanted to hold a small funeral involving only family members.

While currently enjoying global impact through K-pop music and TV drama series, South Korea also has a long track record of premature deaths of celebrities, artists and musicians. In some cases, the conjecture has pointed to the high pressure of training and competition to break through to stardom. In other cases, both conventional and social media have intruded into the private lives of celebrities and kept even minor transgressions alive in the news cycle for weeks or months.

Following the death by suicide of ‘Parasite’ star Lee Sun-kyun in late 2023, several prominent media figures accused the police of complicity with the media and asked them to reverse the sensational reporting.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.