[Sports Chosun’s Kim Soo-hyun reporting] It has been six years since Goo Hara, a member of the group KARA, passed away.
On November 24, 2019, Goo Hara was found dead at her home in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, at the age of 28.
The previous day, Goo left a public post on her official social media saying “Good night,” and a few hours later, she revealed her fears on a private account by saying “I’m scared,” which added to the sorrow.
Even after Goo Hara’s death, her family’s suffering continued. On January 11, 2020, her 49th Memorial Day was observed, and two days later, on January 13, Goo Hara’s brother, Goo Ho-in, discovered that her personal safe, which was in the closet on the second floor of her home, was missing.
The perpetrator did not touch any expensive items and only stole the 31 kg safe.
The intruder entered Goo Hara’s house a few hours after the family had vacated it post the memorial service, covering the CCTV with leaves before committing the theft.
Goo Ho-in expressed his outrage, stating that the theft was not just a simple burglary, saying, “How could someone do this? It’s unacceptable to rob the house of the deceased. By the time I found out, quite some time had passed.”
SBS’s “Unanswered Questions” investigated the identity of the burglar.
Fortunately, Goo Ho-in had kept Goo Hara’s mobile phones. Goo Hara had told her housekeeper like a family member, “I wrote a will, just in case,” prompting Goo Ho-in to open the safe to find the will.
Goo Ho-in said, “I sorted through the contents of the safe and removed anything important. The perpetrator only took the empty shell of the safe. There were six mobile phones inside, and the iPhone is still locked and entrusted to a company. I’m waiting for the technology to unlock it someday.”
The production team of “Unanswered Questions” used colorization of infrared CCTV images and AI techniques to reveal the suspect.
The suspect was seen wearing an earring in his left ear and was estimated to be a male in his late 20s to early 30s, about 170 cm tall, with nearsightedness corrective glasses, a slender face, and a prominent nose.
Former detective Jeong Chang-gil, known as a “montage specialist,” described the suspect as having “somewhat sharp eyes, a long and slender chin, slightly protruding cheekbones, and a broad nose.”
Debuting with KARA in 2008, Goo Hara was loved for hit songs like “Pretty Girl,” “Honey,” “Mister,” “Mamma Mia,” and “Lupin.”
“Mister” especially gained phenomenal popularity in Japan with its unique hip dance, bringing KARA international recognition.
Though years have passed since Goo Hara’s departure, fans and group members still cherish her memory.
In 2023, KARA released the album “Move Again” to mark their 15th anniversary, featuring a music video that poignantly highlighted Goo Hara’s absence. In July of the same year, an unreleased song featuring Goo Hara’s voice titled “Hello” was made public.
Additionally, the “Goo Hara Act” was passed in August of the previous year in the National Assembly to prevent parents who failed their parenting duties from inheriting their deceased child’s estate.
Initiated by Goo Hara’s brother Goo Ho-in following her passing, the act addresses controversies that arose when Goo Hara’s birth mother, who had abandoned her at the age of nine and remained estranged for nearly 20 years, demanded half of her inheritance after her death in 2019.
Goo Ho-in’s legislative petition highlighted how unacceptable it was for a mother, who had abandoned young Goo Hara, to claim half of the inheritance following her death.
The amendment will take effect in January 2026, and any inheritance cases initiated after April 25, the day the Constitutional Court deemed the existing provisions unconstitutional, can be retroactively applied under the new law.