Pianist Im Dong-hyuk. Provided by Credia
Pianist Im Dong-hyuk, who had posted a letter in the form of a will, has been transported to a hospital and is receiving treatment.
The Seocho Police Station in Seoul stated that on the morning of the 16th they received a report expressing concern for Im Dong-hyuk’s safety, dispatched officers, and rescued him at a location in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu. He is currently being treated at a nearby hospital, and it is understood that there is no threat to his life.
Earlier, Im posted several handwritten letters on his social networking service (SNS) account that contained death-implying statements such as “Having lived my entire life as a performer, I have suffered from severe depression,” “My mind and body have collapsed, and I feel extremely lonely and isolated,” and “I was certainly no angel, but this world was too harsh for me to live in,” causing shock.
Im also rebutted allegations that during divorce proceedings with his ex-wife he sent obscene photos and obscene messages, writing, “(My ex-wife) ‘threatened to make a false MeToo break out.’ I will list only what there are recordings and evidence for. Everything will be disclosed after my death.”
He also admitted to prostitution in connection with the case for which he was fined $750 (1,000,000 KRW) in 2020, adding, “Because my mind and body could no longer endure it, I decided to simply accept the first-instance ruling. Since it is legal in Germany and I have lived in a country that places great importance on taxes, perhaps my sense of guilt diminished. I am sorry.”
Im Dong-hyuk is a renowned performer who rose to stardom by winning prizes at all three of the world’s major piano competitions: 3rd at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2003, the first-ever prize for a Korean at the 2005 International Chopin Piano Competition (joint 3rd with his older brother Im Dong-min), and 4th at the 2007 International Tchaikovsky Competition.
※ If you have concerns such as depression that are difficult to talk about, or if there are family·acquaintances around you experiencing such difficulties, you can receive counseling from experts 24 hours a day via the suicide prevention hotline ☎109 or the SNS counseling service Madlan (www.129.go.kr/etc/madlan).
