Top Korean model found dead in Paris

Media reports called it an apparent suicide, but officials have not confirmed the cause of death. Her Seoul agency, Esteem, said her family and agency officials were heading to Paris. Raised in Seoul and Singapore, Kim modeled in Asia before making her fashion week debut in Paris in 2007.

Known for her thick mane of hair — sometimes dyed blond — and her quirky sensibility, the 5-foot-10 (178-centimeter) model was celebrated for her sense of style.

She was featured recently in a commercial for designer Christopher Kane's line of clothing for British retailer Topshop.

Kim also was an accomplished painter and video filmmaker who had a solo show of her artwork in Seoul. She often listed “collecting forks” as a hobby.

Bloggers in South Korea mourned her death, speculating that she felt the pressure of high-fashion modeling and a loss of identity.

In an Oct. 30 entry on her blog, Kim wrote that she was “mad depressed and overworked,” and in another entry said “the more i gain the more lonely it is ... i know i'm like a ghost.”

The last entry on her blog, dated Nov. 18, was titled “say hi to forever” and carried a video of the song “I Go Deep” by British singer Jim Rivers.

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