A heartbreaking story of Leeteuk’s family, aside from his life as an idol, actor, and celebrity. Many people only know about his happy and prosperous life in Super Junior, who made his name popular. But deep inside, we never think about his life aside from his career. If you want to know more, keep reading the whole story of how Leeteuk dealt with the deaths of his dad and grandparents, and how he overcame his own depression. Check this out!
Leeteuk’s Father and Grandparents’ Death
Breaking news appeared on January 6, 2014. A report said that the South Korean Police were investigating the deaths of the father and grandparents of the popular K-pop boy-band member, Leeteuk, all of whom had been found in his father’s residence. The next day, officials from the star’s agency, SM Entertainment, announced that the family members had been killed in a car accident in an apparent attempt to protect the entertainer from bad publicity. It has since come to light that the three actually died in their home in what police are suspecting was an apparent murder-suicide. The bodies of the 84-year-old grandfather and 79-year-old grandmother were found in bed with a blanket pulled over them, while the 57-year-old father, referred to only by his family name, Park, was found dead in his room in an apparent suicide by hanging. According to the Dongjak Police Department, the bodies of Leeteuk’s father and grandparents were found at their home, located in Shindaebang-dong, Southwestern Seoul, around 9:20 AM on January 6, by Mr. Park’s nephew/niece, who then called the police. The grandparents were found strangled, lying side by side on a bed, while the father was in the same room, hanging from a wardrobe handle. A suicide note was also discovered with the message, “I will take my parents and go to heaven together so live well.” It also had the message, “I am sorry to my children.” Later it was found out that Leeteuk’s father had been suffering from depression for a long time. After divorcing Leeteuk’s mother in 1998, his father lived separately from his children with his parents. In the last few years, Leeteuk’s grandfather started to suffer from dementia, and to make matters worse, Leeteuk’s grandmother, who had been taking care of her husband, was diagnosed last year with late-stage lung cancer with the additional complication of dementia, leaving her bedridden. Leeteuk’s father diligently looked after his parents, but with debts of hundreds of millions of won due to business failure, and his house seized, he had decided to put his parents into a convalescent hospital. However, a day before he would have admitted them into the hospital, Leeteuk’s father took the lives of his parents and committed suicide. After hearing the heartbreaking news of his father and grandparents, the star rushed to the Korea University Guro Hospital, where funeral services occurred on the same day.
