EPAActress Kim Sae-ron‘s dying in an obvious suicide has renewed criticism of South Korea’s leisure trade, which churns out stars but additionally topics them to immense strain and scrutiny.
Kim, 24, had been bombarded with unfavourable press protection and hate on-line after a drink-driving conviction in 2022. She grew to become so unpopular, scenes that includes her have been edited out of exhibits.
The circumstances resulting in her dying are depressingly acquainted, consultants say. Another celebrities who had their careers upended by cyberbullying additionally ended up taking their very own lives.
As Kim was laid to relaxation on Wednesday, analysts say they don’t seem to be optimistic her dying will result in any significant change.
South Korea’s leisure trade is having fun with large recognition.
As we speak, there are greater than an estimated 220 million followers of Korean leisure all over the world – that is 4 occasions the inhabitants of South Korea.
However there’s additionally rising highlight on the much less glamorous aspect of the leisure trade.
South Korea is understood for its hyper-competitive tradition in most spheres of life – from schooling to profession. It has one of many highest suicide charges amongst developed international locations. Whereas its general suicide charge is falling, deaths of these of their 20s are rising.
This strain is heightened within the case of celebrities. They face immense strain to be good, and are subjected to the calls for of obsessive “tremendous followers” who could make or break careers.
That’s the reason even the slightest perceived misstep might be profession ending.
“It’s not sufficient that the celebrities be punished by the legislation. They turn into targets of relentless criticism,” Korean tradition critic Kim Hern-sik advised the BBC.
He referred to Okay-pop artists Sulli and Goo Hara, who died by suicide in 2019 after lengthy battles with web trolls, though they didn’t have recognized brushes with the legislation.
Sulli had offended followers for not conforming to the Okay-pop mould, whereas an web mob had focused Goo Hara over her relationship with an ex-boyfriend.
‘An actual life Squid Recreation’
Cyberbullying has additionally turn into a money-making gig for some, Korean tradition critic Kim Hern-sik advised the BBC.
“YouTubers get the views, boards get the engagement, information retailers get the site visitors. I do not assume [Kim’s death] will change the state of affairs.
“There must be harsher legal punishment towards leaving nasty feedback,” he says.
Kim Sae-ron’s father has blamed a YouTuber for her dying, claiming the controversial movies they revealed prompted her deep emotional misery.
Others have pointed fingers at some native media retailers, who reportedly fuelled public animosity towards Kim by reporting the unverified claims.
“This cycle of media-driven character assassination should cease,” civic group Residents’ Coalition for Democratic Media mentioned in an announcement on Tuesday.
Na Jong-ho, a psychiatry professor at Yale College, likened the spate of superstar deaths in South Korea to a real-life model of Squid Recreation, the South Korean Netflix blockbuster which sees the indebted preventing to the dying for an enormous money prize.
“Our society abandons those that stumble and strikes on as if nothing occurred.. What number of extra lives have to be misplaced earlier than we cease inflicting this damaging, suffocating disgrace on folks?” he wrote on Fb.
“Drunk driving is an enormous mistake. There could be an issue with our authorized system if that goes unpunished. Nonetheless, a society that buries individuals who make errors with out giving them a second likelihood just isn’t a wholesome one,” Prof Na added.
Final yr, the BBC reported on how “tremendous followers” within the infamous Okay-pop trade attempt to dictate their idols’ non-public lives – from their romantic relationships to their each day actions outdoors of labor – and might be unforgiving when issues go off script.
It’s no shock that Kim Sae-ron selected to withdraw from the general public eye after her DUI conviction, for which she was fined 20 million received (£11,000) in April 2023.
It’s price noting nonetheless, that not all public figures are topic to the identical therapy. Politicians, together with opposition chief Lee Jae-myung, even have previous drink-driving convictions however have been capable of bounce again – polls present Lee is now the nation’s high presidential contender.
In South Korea, it’s “extraordinarily robust” for artistes to get well once they do one thing that places a crack of their “idol” picture, says Okay-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin.
He contrasts this to leisure industries within the West, the place controversies and scandals typically even “add a rockstar-like edge” to celebrities’ reputations.
“Whereas nobody cheers when a Hollywood superstar is arrested for DUI (consuming inebriated or medicine) or despatched to jail for vital crimes, it isn’t essentially career-ending,” he says.
Whereas the Korean leisure trade has made strikes to handle artistes’ psychological wealth considerations, it’s unclear how efficient these have been.
Actual change can solely occur when there isn’t any extra monetary or consideration incentives to proceed with such intrusive reporting, says Mr Benjamin.
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Extra reporting by Jake Kwon in Seoul
