Leeteuk’s previous mentions of his childhood on television and comments made by acquaintances with the star’s father are shedding new light on the family’s affairs after news of the tragedy broke out on Monday.

“I was often beaten up and my parents would argue often. Father was just a scary figure to me at the time,” the Super Junior member confessed on a TV program in 2012, describing his deprived childhood.

Acquaintances who went to pay their respects to the family commented that Leeteuk’s father was a dutiful son by caring for his elderly parents with Alzheimer’s disease.

They said that the father had been suffering from depression after his business started to go wrong, despite his idol son’s success on television.

The funeral hall was filled with wreaths sent from officials from his agency and celebrity friends. Fellow idol stars Yoon Du-jun of BEAST and Jo-kwon of 2AM offered their condolences to the bereaved on Twitter.

Police are investigating the cause of death of the three family members amid speculations that the father committed suicide after killing his parents.

By Yoon Ha-youn, Intern reporter
(yhayoun@heraldcorp.com)