Park Dong-bin, 56, dies amid daughters health crisis

's entertainment industry has been rocked by another tragedy. 

Actor Park Dong-bin was found dead on Wednesday, leaving behind his wife and three-year-old daughter. He was 56.

His body was discovered inside of his restaurant in Pyeongtaek, which he'd been busy preparing to open. 

According to The Korea Times, the star's body was found by an acquaintance who had been helping him with the new business.

Officials from the Pyeongtaek Police Station said that there were no immediate signs of foul play and no suicide note was found.

Investigations into the exact cause of death are still ongoing. 

Park leaves behind his wife of six years, Lee Sang-yi, and their three-year-old daughter Jiyu, who has been battling a serious congenital heart disease since she was born.

During an emotional 2024 interview on the Korean therapy program Oh Eun-young's Golden Counseling Center, Park opened up about his daughter's health issues. 

'She has left heart hypoplastic syndrome, where the left ventricle and aorta are underdeveloped. Without a heart transplant or surgeries, she could die,' he said at the time. 

Jiyu underwent her first surgery just four days after she was born and later had two more surgeries.  

In the same interview, Park also admitted to feeling self-conscious about being an older father and said that people often mistook him for Jiyu's grandfather.

'I'm a 54-year-old father, and I'm worried about whether I can take responsibility for my family until the end,' he said, according to Star News Korea.

He also shared some heartbreaking news of his own, revealing that he had been sexually assaulted as a child.

'I was sexually assaulted when I was very young. I still can't forget it,' he said.

'I realized it was sexual assault when I hit puberty and learned about sex. No one asked and my parents and my wife did not know,' he continued. 

When asked why he had decided to share such a personal story, Park said, 'Because I had a child. I did not want my beloved daughter to ever go through this pain. I wanted to say that what was wrong is wrong.'

Despite his hardships, Park was described as a 'doting father' who always prioritized his daughter.

His wife, upon learning about her husband's tragic past, said, 'I was heartbroken because I wondered how hard it must have been for him.' 

Based off of recent social media posts, Jiyu appears to have made it through her surgeries and is now a happy and healthy little girl.

Park got his start with a small role in the 1998 film Shiri.

From there he went on to star in dozens of films and Korean dramas, although primarily with small supporting roles and bit parts.