Kim Sung Min
Kim Sung Taek, later legally changed to Kim Sung Min, was a South Korean actor. He graduated from Kyunggi High School and later obtained an associate's degree in Social Physical Education from Seoil College. He made his debut in 1995 as a stage actor and part of the theater troupe Constellation. As his parents divorced, he became the head of the household (despite having two older sisters) as he was the oldest son. He began working as a commercial underwear model to earn money for his mother. He rose to fame in 2002 when he starred in the drama "Miss Mermaid” as the show had 40% ratings and was very popular in Japan. He changed his name to Kim Sung Min in 2005 when the drama was shown in Taiwan and the Philippines, as non-Korean speakers had trouble pronouncing his birth name. However, from 2008 until his death, he struggled with drug addiction and repeated drug smuggling arrests. In December 2010, he was arrested in a drug scandal which also implicated other celebrities. During police questioning, he admitted to habitually using methamphetamine and marijuana, and smuggling the former substance into South Korea. In early 2011, he was sentenced to 4 years in prison, but after appealing, the sentence was reduced to 30 months suspended for four years, along with two years of probation, 120 hours of community service, 40 hours of substance abuse education, and a fine. He spent two years on hiatus and returned with several new projects limited to cable television, as public networks were much stricter and did not allow him to appear on their channels. Sadly, he suffered a relapse on a trip to Cambodia in November 2014 and was arrested and then sentenced in March 2015 to ten months in prison for drug possession and smuggling. Shortly after his release, he was arrested again for the same charges. On June 24, 2016, and just a few days before he was due to report to prison, he had an argument with his wife and threatened to kill himself. Worried, she called the police, and he was found hanging in the bathroom. He was brought to a hospital but fell into a coma. Two days later, he was pronounced brain dead at the age of 43. His family agreed to donate his organs, and he was buried on June 28. (Source: MyDramaList) Edit Biography
