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Misty Harber

For K-pop lovers, the date of December 18 is filled with grief. I still remember that day in 2017 when I found out Jonghyun (born Kim Jong-hyun), the leader of K-pop act SHINee, had taken his own life. It was a white winter’s day in Seoul and people were excited about the beautiful snow covering the city. The news of the K-pop star’s death shattered the peace.

A painful reminder came late this year when two more K-pop celebrities – Sulli and Goo Hara – died, while K-drama actor, Cha In-ha, was found dead in early December.

While the exact causes of death have not been disclosed, all these figures are known to have suffered from depression. A note from Jonghyun was revealed to the public by his friend Nine9, of Korean band Dear Cloud. She said that Jonghyun asked her to release his note should he die.
“I am broken from the inside,” the note read. “The depression that slowly gnawed at me finally swallowed me, and I couldn’t defeat it.”



 

 
 


 
   
    

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A post shared by 디어클라우드 나인 (@run_withthewolf) on Dec 18, 2017 at 1:35pm PST



“Clashing with the world was not meant for me.
“The life of being famous was not meant for me.
“That’s why I’ve suffered. Suffer[ing] comes from the clash and fame. Why did I choose it? It’s funny.”
The K-pop industry should take the responsibility of looking after the mental and physical well-being of its lucrative stars, and acknowledge that they are human beings, not commodities
A cutthroat industry
K-pop stars have to go through rigorous preparation before they get to appear on screen or on stage. This can last from three to seven years, during which time trainees spend 24 hours a day living with team members in a restricted environment. Many eat and sleep much less than normal, and have to endure anxiety with minimal privacy.
BTS’ Jin weighs in on K-pop’s chart manipulation scandal
Jessica Lee, a former K-pop trainee who starred in Idol School, Mnet’s K-pop audition programme in 2017, said on her YouTube channel that life as a 13-year-old trainee was extremely tough.
“I wasn't chubby at all but I had to lose weight, so I couldn't eat. And I was the youngest. Just try to imagine you’re in a certain community or a certain group of people and you’re the youngest. And all your elders are doing a diet. How can I eat in front of them? That’s pretty rude,” she says during the video.


Later on, she says: “The third year I was doing it, I felt lost. Totally lost.”
“Try to imagine yourself dancing, singing, acting, not eating meals properly every day. That’s physically and mentally so tiring and frustrating for me. I thought that is something that the robots would do because robots have no feelings. I wished I were a robot sometimes.”
Goo Hara and Sulli’s deaths: how K-pop needs to change
Some K-pop groups are exposed to violence and sexual harassment. Members of The East Light, a Korean boy band, claim they were abused by their former entertainment agency, Media Line Entertainment. The band leader, Lee Seok-cheol, said at a press conference in October that members were beaten by producer Moon Young-il for four years while they were trainees, and the agency chairman Kim Chang-hwan was aware of it.
Sexual assaults of female K-pop singers and trainees are often reported in the media. Korean news channel SBS reported that an entertainment agency CEO, known as Kim, was sentenced to six years in prison by the Supreme Court of South Korea. He was accused of forcing teenage trainees to have sex with him and his business partners, and threatening the victims not to report what had happened as his father was a provincial chief police.


Slow signs of progress
There has been progress recently. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea announced an addendum to the Adolescence Mass Culture Artists Standard Agreement on March 5. The agreement, which is attached to the standard labour contract, clarifies that agencies must try to guarantee adolescent artists’ rights, including rights to choose freedom, study rights, personality rights and sleep rights. It bans violence or threatening behaviour towards trainees and restricts asking those younger than 15 years old from working between 10pm and 6am.
Sulli’s sad story proves something needs to change in K-pop
The standard labour contract for pop culture trainees was released in September 2019. According to this, an agency is not entitled to ask a trainee to do anything that may breach privacy or personality rights, beyond the trainee’s obligations clarified on the contract. Also, based on the agreement of trainees, the agency may provide treatment to the trainee if he/she has extreme depression.

However, the contract and agreement don’t guarantee the rights of young artists.
Korean lawyer Song Hye-mi, who often advocates on K-pop idol-related cases, said the contract and agreement have no force in practice, on a CBS Radio programme in March.
RIP Goo Hara: 5 things to know about the K-pop queen
“The contract and agreement can’t be forced onto the agency due to the principles of contract freedom. Also, the restriction of labour hours is difficult to [implement] because there are no regulations in case of violations. Thus, it would be hard for the trainees and their parents to insist on these rights. They can’t take strong legal action as the people in the industry think there are plenty of other trainees or entertainers who can substitute [for] them. This [leaves] the aspiring or newly debuted entertainers ... in the blind spot of human rights.”

Even after K-pop trainees realise their dreams of appearing on stage in a band, they are forced to pander to the demands of their agencies and fans – to stay in the spotlight and earn money. While getting lots of attention from others, they are robbed of a childhood and their teenage years, and miss out on finding out who they are as individuals. Now, the K-pop industry should take the responsibility of looking after the mental and physical well-being of its lucrative stars, and acknowledge that they are human beings, not commodities.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on +1 800 273 8255. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.
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Fame and celebrity

Are Jonghyun, Sulli and Goo Hara victims of the K-pop industry?

There are huge mental and physical stresses on K-pop trainees to succeed, and, even for those lucky few who ‘make it’ – such as Jonghyun, formally of boy band SHINee – the pressure never relents. Photo: Handout

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Photo from Sulli's Instagram page. Photo: jelly_jilli / Instagram

TOPSHOT - The portrait of late K-pop star Goo Hara is seen surrounded by flowers at a memorial altar at a hospital in Seoul on November 25, 2019. - Fans mourned and questions were asked November 25 after K-pop star and revenge porn victim Goo Hara was found dead in a possible suicide, which would make her the second female singer in a month to take her own life in the high-pressure industry. (Photo by str / Dong-A Ilbo / AFP) / South Korea OUT

FILE - In this file photo dated Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, member of South Korean band SHINee, Jonghyun performs during their concert in Hong Kong. Kim Jong-hyun, better known by the stage name Jonghyun, was found unconscious at a residence hotel in Seoul and was pronounced dead later at a nearby hospital, Seoul police said Monday Dec. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, FILE)

The portrait of Kim Jong-Hyun, a 27-year-old lead singer of the massively popular K-pop boyband SHINee, is seen on a mourning altar at a hospital in Seoul on December 19, 2017. The top K-pop star bemoaned feeling "broken from inside" and "engulfed" by depression in a suicide note, it emerged on December 19, as his death sent shockwaves across K-pop fans worldwide. / AFP PHOTO / pool / CHOI Hyuk

Goo Hara and Sulli’s deaths: ‘K-pop music labels need to change’, says Korean psychologist

K-pop singers Goo Hara, left, and Sulli, two K-pop stars and close friends who were both recently found dead, six weeks apart, with suicide being the most likely cause of death. Photo: Instagram

Psychiatrist Park Jong-suk says malicious comment is a type of passive aggression. Courtesy of Park Jong-suk

Comedian-turned-psychologist Kwon Young-chan says a negative comment is like "influenza." Courtesy of Kwon Young-chan

Goo Hara remembered – 5 things to know about the K-pop queen who endured too much

K-pop star Goo Hara was found dead on November 24, 2019. Photo: Instagram

BTS’ Jin blasts other K-pop artists amid chart manipulation scandal: ‘How about creating music using more honest means?’

‘How about creating music using more honest means?’, asked BTS member Jin, at the 2019 MAMA awards in Japan on December 4.

Cha In-ha is the latest Korean celebrity to die suddenly – 3 things to know about the Surprise U member and K-drama star of Love with Flaws

South Korean actor Cha In-ha was found dead on December 3. Photo: Instagram

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