The South Korean band BIGBANG's rapper T.O.P (Choi Seung-Hyun) has been hospitalised after he was found unconscious from an apparent drug overdose, according to a statement by his management agency.
The rather infamous 29-year-old rapper made headlines when he was caught smoking marijuana, which is believed to be the stressor that caused his condition in the first place. T.O.P has been accused four times of smoking the illegal substance in his home in Seoul last October, a few months before his mandatory military enlistment.
Currently, he is unconscious and in the intensive care unit for treatment. According to the statement, "We are still under examinations and a preliminary result is not available at the moment. However, we believe that is medicinal overdose. Due to the current chaotic events, he must have been under heavy stress."
The past few years have seen a sudden rise in the Korean influence among the youth, especially in Northeastern India. Often termed as ‘Hallyu’, a word coined by the Chinese media meaning “Korean Wave”, it has swept over the entire region like wildfire and is still seen lingering, even though some say this ‘wave’ has long passed. Korean cinema, soaps and fashion have, since the barring of ‘Indianisation’, filled the wide cultural gap in the Northeast.
Read more about this phenomenon on TNT.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)