Astro member Moonbin passed away at his home, ending his short 25-year life. Amidst the tragic news, some foreign media outlets have cast a critical eye on the K-pop market with negative implications.

Group Astro's Moonbin left this world at the young age of 25 on the 20th. The sudden news of his death has shocked not only Astro's members but also his family, fans, and the general public, as he was so young and actively working.

Moonbin, who was enjoying global popularity at a young age, released the third mini-album of Astro's unit group Moonbin & Sanha in January and was actively promoting it. Moonbin was in the middle of the fan-con world tour "DIFFUSION" and was scheduled to appear in the Dream Concert in May. However, amidst the shock of the sudden news of his death, some foreign media outlets seemed to criticize the K-pop market and system, rather than mourn the loss.

The New York Times said this death is the most recent example of the deaths of Korean stars in their 20s that have continued over the past few years. It also added that Korean society is forced to look back on what went wrong with its most popular cultural export industry, the K-pop market. They then listed the tragic deaths of several K-pop idols who passed away suddenly.

The Guardian also mentioned Moonbin, as well as SHINee's Jonghyun, KARA's Goo Hara, f(x)'s Sulli, and 100%'s Minwoo, and explained that K-pop stars are usually selected by agencies in their early to mid-teens and spend their days undergoing rigorous musical and dance training while living under strict control.

The BBC also reported that South Korea has the highest suicide rate among young generations in developed countries, and the suicide rate among those in their 20s is on the rise.

Foreign media outlets have connected the deaths of idol singers to the problems of the K-pop market. However, in the US, news of rappers and famous pop singers dying from severe drug addiction or shootings is not uncommon, which is shocking and hard to imagine in Korea.

In the unfortunate situation of the continuous passing of idols, foreign media outlets' behavior of attributing all the reasons and causes of death to the K-pop system should be viewed with caution.

Moonbin was found dead at his home in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, around 8:10 PM on the 19th. His agency, Fantagio Music, announced through their SNS account on the morning of the 20th, "In accordance with the wishes of the bereaved family, the funeral will be held quietly with family, relatives, and company colleagues attending," and "once again, we send our deep condolences on his last journey."

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