France - fashion

South Korean supermodel found dead in Paris flat

Article published on the 2009-11-20 Latest update 2009-11-20 12:58 TU

Daul Kim in a self portrait published on her blog

Twenty-year-old South Korean supermodel Daul Kim has been found hanged in her apartment in Paris. The news was reported by her agency, Next, and later confirmed as a suicide by the South Korean embassy.

"The French police have informed us that Korean citizen Kim Daul committed suicide in her apartment yesterday afternoon," embassy spokesman Lee Seung Yoo said.

"One of her friends found her body hanging in her apartment. Her family are coming to Paris from Seoul and will be arriving this evening or tomorrow morning."

Kim's death was first reported by Kim’s agency in South Korea, Esteem. Her European agency, Next, later confirmed the news in a statement. 

"She was a top model and a great friend of all of us at Next. Respect the privacy of her family in this moment of great sadness," it said.

Kim kept a popular internet blog, whose last entry was written on Thursday. It was headlined "Say hi to forever", and contained a link to a video of the song I Go Deep by British singer Jim Rivers.

Kim recently took to the catwalk to display clothes from designers Chanel and Alexander McQueen.

She debuted on the runway for Chanel, Dries Van Noten, and Maison Martin Margiela in 2007, and recently appeared in a commercial for Christopher Kane's Topshop line.

Kim was also a painter and video filmmaker.