Who was Jung Chae-yul? Tributes pour in as Zombie Detective star dies aged 26

Jung Chae-yul recently died at the age of 26 (Image via chaeyull/Instagram)

Well-known actress and model Jung Chae-yul recently passed away at the age of 26. She was discovered dead inside her residence on April 11, 2023, and her cause of death currently remains unknown. She was popular for her appearances in Zombie Detective and other K-dramas over the years.

Jung's agency Management S confirmed the news of her demise in a statement as they shared details about her funeral. As per MK News, the statement read:

"Her funeral will be held privately in accordance to the wishes of her family, who must be in greater sadness than anyone else. We hope you pray for the deceased so Chaeyul, who was also sincere in her acting, may rest in peace."

Jung Chae-yul's K-drama Wedding Impossible was in the production phase at the time of her death

Born on September 4, 1996, Jung Chae-yul gained recognition as a model and actress. Esteem Entertainment represented her over the years as she remained active in the entertainment industry. Jung began her career with the show Devil's Runaway in 2016.

Jung Chae-yul was featured in a few K-dramas (Image via chaeyull/Instagram)

She then played the role of Bae Yoon-mi in the 2020 drama Zombie Detective. The fantasy television series premiered on September 21, 2020, and ended on October 27, 2020. Zombie Detective also received the Best Challenge Award at the 18th KBS Entertainment Awards. The show starred Choi Jin-hyuk, Park Ju-hyun, and Kwon Hwa-woon in lead roles.

She also appeared in the 2018 film, Deep. She was cast in another K-drama titled Wedding Impossible and the show was in the production phase at the time of her death. Star News reported that filming had been canceled following Jung's demise while the producers tried to assess the situation.

Jung was active on Instagram with around 25,000 followers and her posts featured her striking different poses across the world. She was a rising star in the film and TV industry and several fans took to social media to mourn her loss.

Netizens pay tribute to the last actor online

Jung Chae-yul gained recognition over the years for her flawless performances in films and television. Social media platforms were flooded with tributes when people heard about her demise. Kendall Writes shared the news on Facebook and several netizens took to the comments section to mourn her loss.

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Tributes pour in for the actor (Image via Kendall Writes/Facebook)

Jung is the second K-drama star to have passed away this year. Back in January 2023, another actor, Na Chul, died at the age of 36. Star News Korea stated at the time that Chul was hospitalized after his health deteriorated and he reportedly died from exacerbated health issues.

Chul was mostly known for his performance in the Netflix series Vincenzo, where he appeared as Na Deok-jin. He also appeared in various other shows like Once Upon a Small Town, Yakhanyeongung, Moebius, Hospital Playlist, Sinkhole, Happiness, Weak Hero Class 1, and Little Women.

Edited by Adelle Fernandes