As many US readers don’t already know, early this month, top Korean actress Choi Jin-sil (above) committed suicide by hanging herself at her home in Seoul. She was 39. It was reported that she had suffered from depression since her 2002 separation, and messy divorce two years later, from her pro baseball player husband and was upset by recent rumors (she claimed were false) that she had loaned a large sum of money to an actor friend and was pressuring him to pay it back, which was a reason he committed suicide in early September. I suppose the alcohol she had to drink that evening also helped with her decision to take her own life.
Although Jin-sil’s death shocked many, it wasn’t the first time a high-profile female Korean entertainer has committed suicide in recent years.
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A little morbid but very informative. Have there been about as many male celeb suicides in Korea?
There have been fewer suicides among male Korean celebs, however, just as notable and two come to mind. Actor and singer Choi Jin-young, who was the younger brother of Choi Jin-sil, killed himself on March 29, 2010, in the same manner his sister did a year and a half earlier. Also, top actor and singer Park Yong-ha hanged himself June 30, 2010, when he had everything to live for.
Good article. I remember how I cried when I heard about Choi Jin Sil. Not just for her but for her kids. Why do they think death is the only answer?
Choi Jin Sil’s ex recently committed suicide.
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/01/07/2013010700791.html
Yes, I follow a couple of Korean entertainment sites (one reason is to stay informed in case I need to make another addition to this list) and already read about it. Now Choi Jin-sil’s kids are without a mother, an uncle, and a father ….even though he was an estranged father.
It wasn't suicide but Jang Jin Young’s death was also very tragic.
Yes, Jang Jin-young died of stomach cancer in September 2009. It was tragically ironic because one her best-know roles was in the 2003 film Scent of Love, in which she played a woman who was dying of stomach cancer.
Korea is not a country. It is another planet where only beauty and money is wanted. The men are not angels, they drive the women to suicide. I feel bad for Korean women. They are brainwashed by one messed up culture.
The “Near Death” or “Well Dying” movement was started last year in South Korea to discourage those thinking about suicide. http://www.popdust.com/south-korea-stages-fake-funerals-in-bid-to-stop-soaring-suicide-rate-1891982906.html
Good list. Most complete I have seen even without the male celebs included.
I was in Korea from ’08-’09 and remember seeing Choi Jin Sil’s photo all over the news and on the front pages of newspapers. I didn’t know who she was at the time or understand Korean, but my Korean coworker told me she was a top actress who killed herself. I had no idea there were so many other Korean actresses who had killed themselves.
I was researching this topic and found this. There are some here I did not know had done suicide. Woo Seung Yeon and Jang Chae Won I didn’t know about. Here is another good article on the topic. Kim Dae-O is a writer in Korea. He has known Choi Jin Sil and others.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/04/i-have-reported-on-30-korean-celebrity-suicides-the-blame-game-never-changes
Those around Choi Jin Sil have also committed suicide.
https://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php%3Fidx=12141
Wow. If you included the male celebs, this would be the most complete list of Korean celebrity suicides on the Internet.
Hard to believe it has been almost 20 years since Lee Eun-joo passed away. I remember seeing her in Bungee Jumping of Their Own and the TV drama Phoenix. Did not see The Scarlet Letter until after her death. Her scenes in it were intense. She gave amazing performances, but I guess it took too much away from her. RIP 이은주씨.