On the afternoon of October 12 KST, Busan Haeundae Police confirmed that YouTuber/reporter Kim Yong Ho was found deceased in a hotel in Busan. Kim was discovered by a hotel employee, who reported the incident. 

A representative of the Haeundae Police told media outlets, "It is suspected that the death was by suicide; however, the investigation is ongoing." 

It's known that Kim was in Busan for a sexual molestation trial which concluded a day earlier, on October 11. The Busan District Court had ruled Kim Yong Ho guilty of sexual molestation which occurred at a restaurant in July of 2019, sentencing the reporter to 8 months in prison, deferred by a probationary period of 2 years, as well as 120 hours of community service and 40 hours of sexual violence education. 

What's more is that Kim Yong Ho was also involved in an ongoing investigation for allegations of blackmail and extortion against numerous top celebrities. It was alleged that Kim has been blackmailing various celebrities since August of 2020, demanding money in exchange for the concealment of private, negative information which would ruin the reputation of the celebrities in question. Kim was suspected of obtaining billions of won from such extortions. An arrest warrant for Kim's ongoing case had been under review as of October 12. 

In the most recent developments in this case as of October 12 at 3 PM KST, a YouTube video allegedly featuring Kim Yong Ho's last words before his death has surfaced online. In the voice-only video, Kim apologized for the sexual molestation case, but denied all accusations of blackmail and extortion.

※If you or someone you know is at risk of self-harm or suicide, seek help as soon as possible by contacting agencies specializing in crisis intervention and suicide prevention in the United States and overseas.