Flipside of fame

As Korean pop-star Choi Jin-ri aka Sulli, 25, is found dead in her apartment, the attention once again shifts to the industry she was a part of. While the reason of the death is not yet clear, everybody is speculating it to be another suicide due to the amount of flak she received in her career.

Sulli was just 11 when she first shot to fame, playing Princess Seonhwa of Silla in the SBS drama Ballad of Seodong. Sulli started her musical journey as a member of f(x) band. Later, she went on a break because she was mentally and physically exhausted by the abusive comments she got online. In 2015, she left the band to pursue a career in acting.

Korean pop stars have it all and as much as this is true, there exists a subtext to it that their life is not theirs. From how they want to be subjected to in front of fans, what they eat, what they wear, what they speak and who they date— everything is micromanaged. And if you become a star when you are just a child, consider it to be harsh reality you digest for the lifetime. Above all, there comes the pressure of being loved and popular among the audience. — TNS

They could not handle pressure

• In December 2017, Kim Jong-hyun, from the famous South Korean boy band Shinee, committed suicide. Jonghyun was battling depression and his ‘struggles with fame’. 
• South Korean actress Jang Ja-yeon, who was part of famous television series Boys Over Flowers, ended her life at age 29. Her suicide caused a national scandal in 2009 when it was proved that she had been sexually and physically abused by a number of prominent entertainment executives during her career. According to Jang’s suicide note, this abuse contributed to her depression.