Goo Ha-ra (January 13, 1991 – November 24, 2019), better known mononymously as Hara, was a South Korean singer and actress.

She was a member of the South Korean girl group Kara, and had also appeared in television dramas including City Hunter (2011). She made her debut as a soloist in July 2015 with the release of her EP Alohara (Can You Feel It?).

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Life and career

Early life and education

Goo Ha-ra was born on January 13, 1991, in Gwangju, South Korea. She participated in SM Entertainment's youth appearance tournament in 2005. In 2007, she unsuccessfully auditioned to join JYP Entertainment.

She attended Sungshin Women's University.

2008–2015: Kara and solo activities Main article: Kara (South Korean band)

Goo joined the girl group Kara in 2008, following the departure of former member Kim Sung-hee.

In October 2009, she became a cast member of the KBS' reality show Invincible Youth.

In 2011, she made her acting debut in SBS City Hunter. She starred as Choi Da-hye, the daughter of South Korea's president. In November 2011, she and Nicole Jung became the new MCs for Inkigayo. They left the show on August 19, 2012.

In 2013, she collaborated with Japanese musician and songwriter Fukuyama Masaharu to record a song called "Magic of Love" in Korean under the project group HARA+. The song was used as a soundtrack for FujiTV's drama Galileo, which Masaharu starred in. In October 2013, she was appointed as the blood donation ambassador for the Hanmaum Blood Bank.

Her own reality show titled On & Off aired on December 29, 2014 on MBC Music.

In January 2015, she started hosting KBS' idol beauty show A Style For You along with Super Junior's Kim Heechul, EXID's Hani and Sistar's Bora. 

In June 2015, she released a beauty book titled Nail HARA.

2015–2019: Solo debut and departure from DSP Media

In July 2015, Goo debuted as a solo artist with the release of the EP Alohara (Can You Feel It?), which peaked at #4 domestically. The title track "Choco Chip Cookies" features South Korean rapper Giriboy. In October 2015, Goo joined the variety show Shaolin Clenched Fists.

On January 15, 2016, Goo left DSP Media due to the expiration of her contract with the company, prompting Kara to go on an indefinite hiatus. She then joined KeyEast. In December 2016, she featured in Thunder's single, "Sign".

In August 2017, Goo starred in a web movie titled Sound of a Footstep. In November 2017, Goo joined the variety show Seoul Mate.

In January 2018, she released a soundtrack for the drama Jugglers, titled "On A Good Day". In April 2018, she hosted the JTBC's beauty show My Mad Beauty Diary. In July, she was named honorary ambassador for the 6th Animal Film Festival.

Personal life

On January 5, 2010, during an appearance on the SBS reality show Strong Heart, Goo admitted to getting dental and minor facial cosmetic surgery. She stated that she had always had double eyelids, but had surgery to make them more defined.

On January 19, 2011, it was announced that Goo would be terminating her contract with her label DSP Media along with three other members of Kara, and a lawsuit was filed on their behalf. Later that day, it was announced that she would discontinue her involvement with the suit and had rejoined the company, as she apparently was not fully aware of the lawsuit's details.

In 2018, Goo filed a lawsuit against her former boyfriend Choi Jong-bum for uploading a nude photograph of her without her consent. He was sentenced to one and a half years in prison and three years of probation in the first trial held in August 2019 after being convicted of threatening, coercioning, injuring, and destroying Goo's property.

On May 26, 2019, Goo attempted suicide in her apartment and was immediately taken to hospital. On November 24, Goo was found dead at her home in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam. A police investigation of her cause of death has deemed it a possible suicide.