PeterRS Posted July 10, 2023 Share Posted July 10, 2023 Last week the very popular Hong Kong singer Coco Lee committed suicide. She was just 48 and had been suffering from depression. This follows what seems to be a sad trend among Asian pop singers and pop idols. Just a couple of months ago K-Pop singer Moonbin of the ASTRO group was found dead in his apartment aged 25. Also this year Haeso died after leaving a suicide note in her apartment. One of the first Korean artists to die was in 2004. 22-year old Seo Jae-ho was killed when his car crashed into a truck in an action that was assumed to be deliberate. Since then there have been more than ten suspicious deaths of pop stars when driving cars or motor cycles. In 2008 actor Ahn Jae-hwan took his own life. A month later his good friend Choi Jin-sil, one of the country’s most in-demand actresses, also committed suicide. In what became a family tragedy, two years later Choi’s younger brother killed himself. Three years later, her ex-husband and the father of her two children also killed himself. Much more recently, the industry has lost Hara, then Sulli, Goo Hara and Cha In-Ha - three singers who all died within two months of each other - Song Yoo-jung, Jonghyun and Jeon Mi-seon. All died in suspicious circumstances. Jonghyun had been the lead vocalist for the group SHINee for 9 years. A note made public after his death read, “I am broken inside. The depression that gnawed on me slowly has finally engulfed me entirely.” Jyonghyun The saddest death was surely that of 24-year old Lee Ji-han who died last year in the Itaewon crowd crush which killed 153 mostly young people.' Lee Ji-han A star in Indian movies, actress Jiah Khan hanged herself aged 25. Popular Chinese actor Kimi Qiao Renliang took his own life in 2016 aged 29 after a long battle with depression. Jonghyun’s note about depression has seen echoes not only in the K-Pop industry but in other parts of Asia. Unquestionably the most famous actor/singer to commit suicide was 46-year old Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing in 2003. Massively famous around the world and not only in Chinese communities, Leslie seemed to have everything. A record of 33 consecutive nights of sold-out concerts at Hong Kong’s 10,000 seat Coliseum, twice nominated as Best Actor at the annual Cannes Film Festival Awards, a steady banker boyfriend since his childhood years – yet unknown to all was a creeping, insidious depression that engulfed him in his last years. In his suicide note, he wrote, “In my life I have done nothing bad. Why does it have to be like this?" Leslie (left) in a poster for one of his first films. Also in the photo is Danny Chan playing the violin who died of an overdose in his mid-30s and Paul Chung who committed suicide aged 30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fedssocr Posted July 10, 2023 Share Posted July 10, 2023 South Korea generally has a very high suicide rate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterRS Posted July 11, 2023 Author Share Posted July 11, 2023 13 hours ago, fedssocr said: South Korea generally has a very high suicide rate It seems particularly true in the hothouse entertainment business. The pressure these kids selected for the K-Pop groups is intense and never ending. It seems few are able to enjoy any form of life of their own. Little wonder, perhaps, that some feel so trapped the only way out for them is suicide. China As worrying, suicide rates among young people in China are on the rise. Figures suppllied by the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that in the 5-14 year old age group, suicides increased by 400% between 2010 and 2021. Among the 15-24 age group, there was actually a drop of 6.8% from 2010 - 2017. But thereafter it has surged at an annual rate of 19.6% up to 2021. That is not China's only problem with young people. Youth unemployment hit a record high in April with 20.4% of those in the 15-24 year old group unable to find work. Add to that the more than 11 million students who graduated from Chinese universities last month. How will they find work? Having a degree from an international university used to be a passport to success. No more. President XI has a lot more to worry about than Taiwan! The communist party needs the endorsement of the people. Young people may soon wonder if that endorsement is worth it. https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Caixin/Chinese-youth-suicide-rate-quadruples-in-over-a-decade https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/01/china-graduates-jobs-market-youth-unemployment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
