Death Of An Entertainer … And Another … And Another …

(originally appeared in the February 21, 2007 edition of Seoul Weekly newsletter)

On February 10, actress Jeong Da-bin was found dead by suicide, making her the third entertainer to pass away in one month, and the fourth in approximately two years (Singer U;nee committed suicide on January 21, comedienne Kim Hyung-eun perished in a car accident on January 11, and actress Lee Eun-joo also committed suicide in February 2005.).
To put this in perspective, the United States has a population more than six times larger than South Korea’s, yet how many famous singers or Hollywood stars have perished in the last year?
On the surface, this seems to be a damning reprimand of the Korean entertainment industry. One of Korea’s most successful singers recently related in an interview that he gets by on only four hours of sleep a night, due to his many daily engagements.
However, this may be indicative of a larger societal phenomenon. Out of all member countries of the Organization For Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Korea has the highest per capita rate of suicide, having nearly doubled since the year 2000.
To its credit, the Korean government has recently announced a campaign to try to reduce the number of suicides. Unfortunately, some of these initiatives will try to make suicide more difficult (such as by installing fences on rooftops) rather than by giving help to those who need it. This is misguided, as in every home, there is a knife or rope-like object. Those who want to kill themselves will. What must be focused on is the desire, not the means.
In Korea, there seems to be a much worse stigma attached to seeking therapy than in North America. In English, we might joke with our friends like this: “You don’t like Thai food? You’re crazy! How can anyone not like it?”
In Korea, the term “crazy” seems to always be more serious, negative, and insulting. These attitudes need to be addressed, so that people in need will more easily and comfortably approach mental health professionals.