DJ DOC Lee Ha-neul blames bandmate Kim Chang-yeol for his brother's death

DJ DOC member Lee Ha-neul, left, accused his bandmate, Kim Chang-yeol, of causing financial debt on his late brother Lee Hyun-bae. Korea Times file

By Lee Gyu-lee

Hip-hop group DJ DOC member Kim Chang-yeol is in the hot seat after his bandmate, Lee Ha-neul, accused him of being responsible for the death of his brother, Lee Hyun-bae, who was found dead at his house on Jeju Island Saturday.

The accusation was first made when Lee Ha-neul commented, “You killed my brother,” on Kim's social media post that expressed condolences for Lee Hyun-bae's death.

In a live-streamed video on social media Monday, Lee Ha-neul further claimed that his brother, a member of hip-hop duo 45RPM, had been financially suffering because of Kim.

He explained that the brothers and Kim had made a joint investment to build a pension lodge on Jeju Island. Lee Hyun-bae had sold his apartment in Incheon and moved to Jeju to take part in the construction himself.

“Then, Kim refused to pay his part of the money, saying, 'It costs more money than I expected,' so Hyun-bae was left with the (construction) cost,” he said. He added that this laid serious debt on his brother, but he couldn't help cover the debt because he was also short on money from the investment.

“Hyun-bae got a job as a delivery man to pay the debt and then got into a huge motorcycle accident,” he said. “(After the accident,) he couldn't even get tested because he didn't have money for an MRI.”

Lee Hyun-bae's initial cause of death was listed as a heart attack but his family have requested an autopsy.

In response to Lee Ha-neul's claim, Kim posted on social media that DJ DOC has gone through a lot since its debut in 1994.

“Over the years, we have done business together and we indeed went through some unpleasant times… but I ask you respectfully to refrain from making assumptions, especially during this time of mourning,” he said.