Kwon Hyuk Joo, a famous Korean violinist, died on early Wednesday morning at about 12:30 a.m. He was pronounced dead inside a tax that was parked outside a hotel in the Haeundae District.
He began playing violin at age 3, and at age 9, Kwon Hyuk Joo studied violin in Russia after he was recognized as a prodigy. In 2004, he won 1st place at the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition, the first Korean to do so. He has won many prizes at international competitions since he honed his violin skills in Russia.
Kwon Hyuk Joo was also the youngest professor at Anyang University when he started teaching in 2012, according to AJU News.
The prodigy was in Busan to prepare for an upcoming performance. Allkpop reported that the death of the 31-year-old musician could be because of a health issue. A Busan investigator said the cause of the musician’s death is still unknown for now, but they would perform an autopsy.
Before he was declared dead, Kwon Hyuk Joo posted on Instagram a photo of his cup of Homestead Coffee less than 24 hours ago. He was out drinking with friends when a cab driver picked him up. The driver noticed his passenger was asleep when the taxi passed the Diamond Bridge.
When the taxi arrived at the hotel, the driver tried to wake him up, but when he realized his famous passenger was no longer breathing, the man called 119, South Korea’s emergency number.