KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 ― The South Korean rapper Iron died at age 28 yesterday.

The scandal-plagued singer whose real name is Chung Heon-chul was found dead at an apartment in Seoul according to police.

South Korean news outlets reported that he was found bleeding and lying on a grass patch by an apartment guard around 10.25am but was pronounced dead before being transported to hospital.

The Seoul Jungbu Police Station confirmed his death, K-entertainment news site Soompi said.

“We were called in by an (apartment) guard who told us they discovered Iron. He was taken to the hospital, but he passed away.

“At this point, it is unclear whether or not Iron died by suicide. We are investigating the exact cause of his death,” the police said.

Iron shot to fame after becoming a semi-finalist in the hip-hop audition programme Show Me the Money in 2014.

Last month, he was detained for allegedly assaulting his 18-year-old roommate with a baseball bat.

In 2018, he was sentenced by a court to eight months in prison for punching his girlfriend.

He received the same punishment in 2016 after he was found guilty of smoking marijuana between 2014 and 2015.

The South Korean entertainment industry also mourned the loss of another star, the popular South Korean actress Song Yoo-jung whose death was announced yesterday.

The actress who made her acting debut in the drama series Golden Rainbow was found dead on Saturday in Seoul, South Korea.

She was 26.

The news was announced by her management company Sublime Artist Agency who said the star was buried yesterday but did not disclose the cause of death.

Song emerged in the K-entertainment world in 2013 and went on to star in several popular drama series including Make Your Wish (2014), School 2017 (2017) and Dear My Name (2019).

Besides acting, the model also made an appearance in the iKON music video Goodbye Road.

According to The New York Times, she appeared in commercials for Estee Lauder and Baskin Robbins and was a passionate advocate for people with disabilities.

Her agency described her as “a great actress who performed with passion.”

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