The late Goo Hara's surprise gift to fans: A new music video released posthumously on her birthday

Fans of the late K-pop star Goo Hara received a bittersweet gift yesterday (Jan 12) when her Japanese label released her new music video two months after her death.

As the song Hello was released in September last year in her final album Midnight Queen, the music video came as a surprise to fans.

Hara had penned the lyrics to the romantic ballad to thank her supporters, said her Japanese label LOG-IN.

The video featured Hara against the night-time cityscape of Tokyo which she had loved, they added.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9V7Cd0SmKc&feature=emb_title[/embed]

The release was particularly poignant for Hara's fans as it coincided with her birthday. While her actual birthday reportedly falls on Jan 3, fans have designated Jan 13 — the date listed in her official profile — as "Hara Day" for years.

Fans took to social media to express their love, mixed feelings, and regret. 

[embed]https://twitter.com/CULTPID/status/1216401298695655424[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/daily_hara/status/1216375516732719107[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/karadoingthings/status/1216386491057766400[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/_alighter/status/1216394495777857536[/embed]

Hara joined the girl group Kara in 2008 and released her first solo album Alohara (Can You Feel It?) in 2015.

She was found dead in her home on Nov 24, 2019 after a suspected suicide attempt in May. She was 28.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com