Singer-actor Choi Si-won apologizes for death of neighbor bitten

Published : Oct 21, 2017 - 15:07 Updated : Oct 21, 2017 - 16:21

Korean singer and actor Choi Si-won on Saturday offered an apology over the death of a local businesswoman who recently died after being attacked by his family's pet dog at an apartment in southern Seoul.

The 30-year-old Choi, who gained fame as a member of the Korean boy band Super Junior, said in his social media post that he is deeply sorry for the death of his neighbor bitten by a dog raised by his family and offered an apology to the bereaved family.

(Yonhap)

News reports said earlier that the victim, identified only as 53-year-old businesswoman Kim who runs Hanilkwan, an upscale Korean cuisine restaurant, was bitten by an untied French bulldog owned by the Choi family at their apartment in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, on Sept. 30. She died of blood poisoning several days later.

"As a member of the family raising the dog, I feel greatly responsible. I should have been more careful but this tragic incident occurred. I deeply repent and will take measures to ensure such an incident will never recur," Choi said in the online post.

Earlier, Choi's father also expressed his condolences to the victim's family in a separate social media post.

"My neighbor died of blood poisoning six days after being bitten by my family's dog by accident," Choi's father said.

As for the cause of the victim's death, however, the father said, "I've been told it is difficult to determine the exact cause of her death, due to the possibility of problems in the process of hospital treatment or secondary infection."

Choi, who was discharged from his mandatory military service in August this year, is currently appearing in "Revolutionary Love," cable channel tvN's new romantic comedy, and Super Junior is preparing to make a comeback in November. (Yonhap)