Asia Weekly

South Korea Obituaries

Bankruptcy drove actor to suicide

The end of South Korean actor-turned-businessman Ahn Jae-hwan's life reads like one of the TV dramas he starred in. It is believed the 36-year-old Tears of Diamonds star took his own life after mounting pressure from investors became unbearable, says Bae Ji-sook in The Korea Times. After disappearing for 15 days, Ahn was found in his car, along with the ashes of two charcoal briquettes burned on an iron plate, a common method of suicide in Japan and South Korea. Unsuccessful at business, Ahn left his new wife, comedienne Jeong Seon-hee, millions of dollars in debt, with "loan sharks" circling her door.

A graduate of the prestigious Seoul National University, Ahn had an "elite image" in the entertainment business. But he "wanted to succeed in business rather than in acting," and "was too proud to talk about his difficulties," an industry insider told the Chosun Ilbo. His death has "shocked the nation."

Ahn's failed business ventures, which included several bars, restaurants and shoe stores, put him on the road to bankruptcy, says Park Min-young in The Korea Herald. Just weeks before his death, Ahn was fired from his job as presenter for the TV entertainment news program ETU after failing to show up for live broadcasts. Fans will likely remember his acting successes more than his business failures. "I liked his smile on TV," one fan told Park Sang-woo in the Joongang Daily.

 

 

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