Fashion designer Kim Rieul, who gained attention for designing hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) suits for K-pop boy band BTS, was found dead in Namwon, South Korea on Feb. 11. He was 31.
Based on Korean media reports, the Namwon Police Station announced that at about 9:10 p.m. KST on Feb. 11, a report was received that a person fell into a flower bed in an apartment in Dotong, Namwon in North Jeolla Province, South Korea.
When the police arrived at the scene, it was confirmed that Kim Rieul was already dead.
Kim Rieul (Instagram)
On Jan. 31, he wrote on Instagram, "1993-2025" (Instagram)
Police investigation showed that Kim Rieul visited his parents’ home in Namwon on the same day.
They believed that he took his own life after finishing a phone call with an acquaintance.
"There appears to be no suspicion of a crime. We are investigating the exact circumstances," a police official said, according to a report.
Last Jan. 31 on his Instagram account, Kim Rieul wrote “1993-2025” along with a photo.
He founded the fashion label Rieul. In 2016, he gained attention for making suits out of hanbok fabric. He went on to work on projects with various fashion companies.
K-pop boy band BTS wearing Kim Rieul's suits made of hanbok fabric at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul (Instagram)
Born on Dec. 11, 1993, Kim Rieul gained fame by designing the stage costumes for the song “Idol,” which BTS performed at Gyeongbokgung Palace when they appeared on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in September 2020.
The video has garnered 44 million views on YouTube as of Feb. 12 and his hanbok design attracted worldwide attention.
In 2023, he was selected as one of the “30 Under 30 Asia” by Forbes magazine.
His funeral will be held on Feb. 13