The tragic death of Choi Sung-bong, 33, from 'Korea's Got Talent'

On June 20, a South Korean singer and star of 'Korea's Got Talent’ Choi Sung-bong, was discovered dead in his home. According to the Korea Times, the singer allegedly took his life after posting a cryptic video on YouTube. Let's take a look at his life and career, filled with difficult and tragic events.

Content warning: This gallery contains mentions of self-harm and death.

Image: TvN

Choi Sung-bong was born in Seoul, South Korea, on February 18, 1990. Choi Sung-bong had a difficult childhood, having been abandoned at the age of three.

Image: sungbongchoiofficial / Instagram

Choi Sung-bong's life in an orphanage was difficult, The Daily Mail reports. He was abused in an orphanage and escaped by seeking refuge in a Daejeon church, where he learned to play music under the mentorship of Park Jeong-so, a member of the church’s congregation.

Image: Genie Music

Despite being a runaway, Choi Sung-bong had assistance from the church in not only providing him the opportunity to pursue his passion for music but also funding his education. This allowed him to enter Dae-Jeon Art High School in the hopes of learning music formally.

Image: Choi Sungbong / YouTube

According to a recorded testimony from his mentor, Park Jeong-so, circulated on YouTube by Sungbongchoidot, life in high school was still rough for Choi Sung-bong, despite financial support from the church. The funds were not enough to support him as a young teen, and Choi Sung-bong once considered dropping out as a result.

Image: Choi Sungbong / YouTube

As a young teen, Choi Sung-bong was already working multiple odd jobs to support himself through high school, which led to him performing poorly in class and being misunderstood by his teachers, Park Jeong-so recounted. They considered him a slacker when he was physically and mentally overworked.

Image: Choi Sungbong / YouTube

According to the same testimony from his mentor, Choi Sung-bong’s struggles in high school juggling work and school paid off as he managed to gain admittance into Hanyang University to further his education in music.

Image: Choi Sungbong / YouTube

However, as the fees for university were too expensive for Choi Sung-bong to keep up with his multiple odd jobs and funding from the church, he ultimately had to drop out.

Image: Choi Sungbong / YouTube

However, life would take a drastic turn for Choi Sung-bong in 2011. According to Deadline, he sang the Italian hit composed by Ennio Morricone, 'Nella Fantasia' in TvN's 'Korea's Got Talent'. His performance went viral!

Image: TvN

It was clear to all that Choi Sung-bong was a star once he took the stage, as his unassuming appearance hid behind such a powerful singing voice. He quickly became a viral star as a result of the apparent discrepancy between his appearance and his singing ability, which many, like Yahoo, compared to Susan Boyle's.

Image: Choi Sungbong / YouTube

Choi Sung-bong's talent was even recognised by Canadian singing sensation Justin Bieber. The Evening Standard reports that the pop star was so awed by his performance that he posted to Facebook: "This is awesome. Never say never, and good luck to this kid. Great story."

Image: KBS

Despite the love audiences had for his talent, Choi Sung-bong did not win 'Korea's Got Talent' and ended up finishing as runner-up.

Image: TvN

However, Pinkvilla reports that Choi Sung-bong's fame and talent won him a chance to continue his dreams of being a professional singer through a Sony Music recording contract.

Image: sungbongchoiofficial / Instagram

Unfortunately, Choi Sung-bong's career as a singer would get tainted by the scandals that followed. NBC News reports that in 2020, the singer claimed that he was suffering from cancer.

Image: sungbongchoiofficial / Instagram

The same news outlet later stated that Choi Sung-bong's claims of cancer were soon debunked a year later as he admitted to defrauding fans. This enraged members of the public, as many had donated money to fund his apparent treatment and trusted in the singer out of good faith.

Image: sungbongchoiofficial / Instagram

Fast forward to 2023, Asia One reported that Choi Sung-bong had made a YouTube post commenting on the donations he had received. The singer mentioned that in the years since 2021, he had finally managed to return the donations and clear his debts.

Image: SBS

However, Allkpop reports that Choi Sung-bong's post came with a morbid message. The now-disgraced singer had added a final goodbye to his fans and foreshadowed that he would end his life as penance for the scandal.

Image: Choi Sungbong / YouTube

Choi Sung-bong was then eventually found dead soon after in his flat. Given the state his body was found in, along with his last post on YouTube, authorities were able to conclude that he had indeed taken his life, according to a Yonhap News report. He was 33.

Image: Choi Sungbong / YouTube