Even if you can’t smile don’t fault me on my way,” the note said. The depression that was slowly devouring me, at last consumed me. In December 2017, pop star Kim Jonghyun took his own life at the age of 27, leaving behind a note detailing his declining mental health believed to be caused by the intense pressures of fame.
Picture: AAP Image/Yonhap News Agencyīut sadly, South Korea’s entertainment industry, and in particular the K-pop industry, has a horrendous reputation for the exploitation of its young stars.
Mourners held photos of Jang Ja-yeon at her funeral in 2009. In the end, the death was ruled as a suicide due to the fact the performer had been suffering from depression.
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Ja-yeon, who shot to fame through the television series Boys Over Flowers, identified many “sponsors” in her note - influential people who helped aspiring stars land roles on hit shows and movies.īut despite the then-29-year-old’s shocking claims, when the case was first investigated, only the CEO of her agency and her manager were indicted on violence and defamation charges.Ī further 10 men on Ja-yeon’s list were investigated at the time, but none were charged.