Film director Shin Seong-hoon's death in May was revealed belatedly, drawing sorrow. He was 40. It is especially sad that he was buried as an unclaimed person.
On the 26th, OSEN reported that Shin Seong-hoon died in May and, with no next of kin identified, was laid to rest as an unclaimed person. A source in the entertainment industry said, "I heard the news too late. I feel heavy that it was an unclaimed funeral."
Earlier, Ilgan Sports reported that police were dispatched after a friend's report but no suicide note was found at the scene. No chronic illness was known during his life, adding shock to the sudden tragedy.
The "mother" and "family" he often mentioned on social media were reported to have been not biological family but older adults nearby with whom he shared affection, leaving a deeper emptiness. OSEN reported that director Shin showed passion preparing various creative projects this year, including films and over-the-top platform (OTT) projects.
The sorrow surrounding director Shin's death is tied to the past times he revealed on broadcasts and in interviews. He appeared on Channel S's Jin-gyeok-ui Halmae and confessed that after his adoption his foster mother developed a gambling addiction and incurred debts of hundreds of millions of won, which he carried alone.
"I spent all the money I earned at events paying off debt. I paid 160 million won myself." He said this and revealed that, in the end, unable to bear the pain, he chose to give up the adoption relationship himself.
After the adoption was dissolved, the legal ties ended, but he did not hide the sudden sense of responsibility and lingering attachment that rose in his heart. On the broadcast he sent a video message to his foster mother, saying, "Thank you for giving me love for 20 years. I hope you stay healthy and happy," leaving a final farewell.
His social media profile line read, "D-day today… Beautiful Day." The wounds he had to bear under the name of family, prejudice from the world and financial burdens. His life, facing those struggles alone, was fiercer than anyone's.
Online, messages of condolence continue to follow his tragic death. "You endured too much alone… I hope you no longer hurt," "A person who rose while shouldering family troubles, it breaks my heart that the end was lonely," "May you lay down the weight of pain and rest peacefully," the tone of mourning reads.
The life of a person who was worthy of being wholly loved ended alone. I hope his footsteps, works and the days he endured are long remembered.
[Photo] the late Shin Seong-hoon, broadcast screen
[OSEN]