The late Korean actor Kim Joo Hyuk didn't suffer heart attack nor did his vehicle experience mechanical problems, authorities revealed. The exact cause of his death is still unknown.
Kim Joo Hyuk was killed last October 30 when his car crashed into a wall of an apartment building in Samseong-dong, Seoul.
According to the Gangnam Police, an investigation by Korea's National Forensic Service showed that there was no problem with the vehicle.
"The result of the investigation of Kim Joo Hyuk's vehicle is there is no evidence of vehicle defects such as rapid acceleration or mechanical malfunctions. It has been concluded that the video of the accident taken by the black box found in Kim Joo Hyuk's car did not record any audio data [of the inside of the car]," the forensic agency said.
It added that "there was no evidence of the cause being an ineffectiveness of the brakes."
An autopsy of Kim Joo Hyuk's body showed that he died of cranial fracture due to the crash but authorities are still determining why his car accelerated and crashed into a wall. The 45-year-old actor didn't also suffer from any health problems before the crash.
"We didn't find any signs of myocardial infarction [heart attack], and our toxicology test only showed a small amount of antihistamine. No traces of alcohol or toxins were detected, and our heart examinations didn't show any signs of coronary artery damage, abnormal blood vessels, or inflammation," the agency added.
Kim Joo Hyuk's death shocked fans and colleagues in the entertainment industry.
One of them was singer Jung Joon Young who was unable to attend the actor's funeral as he was filming "Law of the Jungle" in the Cook Islands and the show's staff was unable to contact him.
He paid tribute to Kim Joo Hyuk during an episode of "2 Days & 1 Night," saying "You were always a cool hyung to us and a more precious hyung than anyone. Last year when I took a break briefly from '1 Night 2 Days' and contacted everyone after coming back into the country, we all met up because you thought I was having such a hard time...because I was having such a difficult time, you came to see me."
