South Korean pop star Moonbin, a member of the band "ASTRO", has died at the age of 25, his production company, Fantagio, announced.

"On April 19, a member of +ASTRO+ Moonbin unexpectedly left our world, becoming a star in the sky," the Korean company "Fantagio" wrote on its official Twitter account.

The producing company did not reveal the cause of death, but asked everyone to "refrain from making any speculation or ill-intentioned statements" so that his family could honor him in peace.

Local media quoted the police as saying that Moonbin was found unconscious in his apartment in the upscale Gangnam district of Seoul .

Moonbin was a member of the band "Astra", and he also participated in an auxiliary group called "Moonbin and Sanha".

After working in acting and modeling, Moonbin joined Fantagio's trainee program from a young age, and joined ASTRO in February 2016 when it had six members.

His sister, Moon Sawa, also works in the field of singing, and is a member of the South Korean female pop group “Belle”.

Following the announcement of his death, many fans of South Korean pop music posted messages of grief and condolences.

Many South Korean pop stars have died at an early age in recent years, including two whose deaths were attributed to suicide in 2019.

Singer Goo Hara committed suicide after her ex-boyfriend published pornographic clips of her, in what is known as "revenge porn" cases. Likewise, her friend Sulli, who is also a star in the “K-Pop” groups, took the same step after being subjected to many criticisms, some of which took her not to wear a bra.

In the K-pop sector, stars are recruited into bands at an early age by specialized agencies. Their lives are closely monitored, with intense rehearsals in music and dance.

South Korea ranks among the worst countries in terms of deaths from suicide, as South Korean government figures showed that these cases are among the leading causes of death among the population under the age of forty.