Friends grief-stricken over actor’s death

The entertainment industry has plunged into deep sorrow and shock over the sudden death of actor Kim Joo-hyuk.

The veteran actor, 45, died in a car accident in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, on Monday when his car rear-ended a sedan twice and suddenly charged forward into an apartment wall before crashing down 2-meter-high stairs.

Initial reports suggested that he might have suffered a cardiac arrest as he was reportedly seen by the sedan driver grabbing his chest before his Mercedes raced toward the wall.

But police ruled it out on Tuesday afternoon, saying that a severe head injury, not a heart attack, was the direct cause of his death, citing the initial result from the autopsy by the National Forensic Service. A more complete biopsy result will be available in a week, it added.

His management agency Namoo Actors, to which many established actors belong, including Ji Sung, Lee Joon-gi, Yoo Ji-tae, Jeon Hye-bin and Moon Geun-young, says it is in deep sorrow.