SEOUL, Nov 25 — Following the sudden death of K-pop star Goo Hara yesterday, #Punish_Choi_Jong_Bum has become the top hashtag trend on Twitter in South Korea.

Choi, who is a hairdresser, is the former boyfriend of Goo with whom she became embroiled in a revenge porn case, after a messy break-up, in which each accused the other of assault.

It forced her to put her entertainment career on hold late last year.

Last September, Choi contacted news outlets over a video that he claimed would “end (Goo’s) entertainment career”.

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He eventually did not leak it.

But in August, he was given a suspended jail term by a lower court on account of the threat and other forms of criminal behaviour.

Goo then filed an appeal in September for the Seoul District Court’s initial ruling that found him guilty of assault.

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Choi, whose sentence involved crimes of property damages, physical assault, threats and unnecessary force, was not found guilty of sexual assault in the form of illegal footage filming.

The case led to intense online rumours and hate comments against Goo.

In South Korea, female victims are generally under pressure not to report sex crimes.

In May, Goo was found unconscious at her home following a suicide attempt.

The former member of girl group Kara was found dead at her home in Seoul yesterday, South Korean police confirmed.

The exact cause of death was still under investigation, they added.

The 28-year-old’s death comes a month after Sulli — another K-pop star and Goo’s close friend — took her own life after a long struggle with online bullying.

The singer had posted a tearful message on her Instagram shortly after Sulli’s death, grieving the passing of her friend.

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