Ok. This has become absolutely ridiculous!! One suicide is way too many. But more? The number of suicides since Choi Jin-shil’s untimely departure has tragically risen.
At the tender age of 23, Kim Ji-hoo committed suicide as a result of rabid netizens who harassed the model for being gay. The model was part of the tvN program, “Coming out” and that didn’t sit well with some people.
Kim Ji-hoo was found dead on October 7th in the same manner as Choi Jin-shil. Police confirm that the death as suicide.
Please no more!
The Korean government needs establish a better social system so that the troubled can easily reach out and seize the help they desperately need. Although the government is reviewing a law to protect people from the spread of vicious rumors and slanderous comments on the internet, that may not be enough. Social pressures are what drives people to do things that they feel is the only way out. Feeling cornered with no alternatives results in desperate measures. What Korea really needs is an overhaul in the way our people think. And that will take time….if not generations.
It’s extremely sad and depressing to think that ending your life is the only answer. It’s not. It shouldn’t be. Life is too precious- we are here only for a short time and we must try to enjoy every minute we have.
This needs to stop.
Rest in peace.
According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, South Korea has the highest suicide rate of any of its 30 members – which are almost all developed countries.
Ms. Choi’s suicide inspired those all Hallyu strars who are having depreesion too…
she just like a trendsetter now…
hiks hiks, but I like her act so much :’(
Oh man. STOP THIS SUICIDAL things.
Gosh may he RIP.
ooh nice phone. Sorry x]
Seee. Internet CAN break someone’s heart.
RIP
Noooo~~ not again T__T
As many of you have already said, this is really getting to much! Aisch, I wish Netizens would get a grip of themself and stop harassing people -.-; They should find something in themself that they should harass, their conscience that is ._.;
It’s really stupid to harass someone for something that may or not me true (even if it’s true, mind your own business)
But it’s unbelievably stupid to harass someone for being gay :O I mean What the, so what? O.o I’m not gay, but I sure don’t find it wrong if anyone is gay -.-;
If this continues, netizens will drag down the whole of SKorea and SKorea will lose it’s popularity =/
Stop the nonsense!
Anyways.
May You Rest In Peace Kim JiHoo! <3
I’m sorry if this offends anyone but why is it that it seems in korea that suicide is the only way?
and these stars need to grow some backbones, neizens are just crazy people with no lives they need to move on
fans and antis are going to far…
I agree with Jiwoo. If they are that weak against people’s criticism/talk, they shouldn’t have entered that kind of world in the first place.
he kinda looks like SUJU’s Kyuhyun yah???
damn he is soo good looking WTF is wrong??
this is so sad T^T
RIP
seriously..this is soo sad…
KOrea has lost like 9 or more celebs this year…><”
really depresing how ppl have to en heir lives becoz of wt ppl say on the internet..!! feel sorry for him..he actually LOOKS CUTE!!! …well too late for tht now…RIP!!
that is so sad, she was only 23
he was a model?!!!
It’s sad to read that although life is precious, yet people take their own life because they can’t cope with the pressures of life.
Life is precious. My blog site http://www.issuesoflife.wordpress.com writes about life issues that we face and it talks about the strugles of life and all that we faced. You can find comfort about the issues and struggles that you go through.
May those who are contemplating suicide think twice again and more and may they find solutions to their plight.
…what would you have done knowing your source of income has been cut just because you came out…it’s those who were supposed to be his employers and who should be more caring for him that abandoned him not just those stupid netizens that drove him to this end…he killed himself because he has no one to turn to…people he trusted and thought would understand him were the ones who should feel the guilt because they could have saved him from this fate IF ONLY they did not conform with these homophobic idiot netizens, kids and adults alike…IF ONLY are the words that comes to mind after things like this happens and are always used too late.
…may you rest in peace and comforted in the afterlife…
I cannot believe this…i’ve never heard of him before but he looks so sweet…and i’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the Gay community…how can people be so cruel…RIP
That sucks.
Acura Headlights
Whoever harassed or unfairly criticized him will and of course should have this on their conscience. [I say "unfairly criticized" because for all I know some of the criticism may have been valid, if, for example, he'd said something stupid or hypocritical in that show. I don't know what he actually said or did.]
However, ultimately people who commit suicide are resposnble for their
Anyway, is it clear that the suicide was related to that? Perhaps he was already depressed or unbalanced. Whatever the subject is, reporters can be relied upon to get it wrong or sensationalize for the sake of ratings.
Re: “He is so good looking!” “He’s so CUTE!” etc: Not any more he isn’t.
Having been to Korea 4 times and having known many Koreans, I’d say that it really is a sick society. [Of course North Korea is off the scale for societal sickness!]
Obsession with money and status, everybody sticking their noses in everybody else’s business, psychopathic hatred of the Americans they rely on for support, and schizophrenic love-hate-tolerance for that mad midget Kim Jong-il, people torturing pigs in public to protest Japan reminding people of Japan’s borders … a sick, sick society.
I’m glad to see you confirm my position here, with your, “According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, South Korea has the highest suicide rate of any of its 30 members”
Of course Koreans are famously sheep-like and authority-worshiping, even as all of their neighbors are moving away from such a mind-set, so the only answers proposed are less freedom, more government intervention and societal engineering: “The Korean government needs establish a better social system”
Governments don’t “establish a social system.”
Instead of the spiritual renewal and objective analysis, repentance and humility required, we just get more Korean buck-passing, hand-wring, melodrama, avoidance of responsibility, and authoritarianism.
Typical.
[For those bothered by my comments: Yeah, I know, the truth hurts. Try not to kill a cat or cut off your finger or spew forth racist diatribes because you lack the social skills to respond rationally and coherently.]
God bless Korea.
Correction:
“However, ultimately people who commit suicide are responsible for their … ”
= … for their own actions.
The guy was pretty much blacklisted after he came out. Everyone rejected him because of his sexual preference.
:\ Most of Korea still can’t except gays. You can act like one, but you can never admit you are one unless you want to be shunned by almost everyone.
unbelievable.
i’m wondering..maybe they are using fake deaths, perhaps they decided to retreat into non-celeb world.
i wish.
It’s really sad that S.Korea has such a high suicide rate. To me, many koreans seem very materialistic.. it’s all about glam, being cool, being sexy, being “beautiful”. I’m not saying all are like that… but many who aren’t get trampled on. The pressure of this kind of society is very depressing. It’s sad how there are so many reported stars committing suicide. RIP.
In comparison to S.Korea, America’s general values are more opened. We believe in equal rights, accepting others, etc and that’s what I think makes America so different from others. But hey, we’re all different.
He was gay. His conscience told him what he knew to be true – being gay is wrong.
The people with blood on their hands are all those that call evil good and good evil.
Sadly, Kim Ji-hoo now knows the Truth.
THE EFFIN NETIZENS!
UGH. leave the poor guy alone, HOLY CRAP.
this is so saddening.
… korean netizens and fans are quite over the line.
first i hear of suju e.l.f’s harrasing the poor girl from starking who lost a tremendous amount of weight, and she commited suicide. then the cassopedian’s who threat the lead singer of I the tri tops jus cz he had a SLIGHT resemblance to jaejoong. and now the netizens sayin that this guy was gay. even if he was, LEAVE HIM ALONE. ohmygosh, this is so frikken … mind-blowing. like there wasn’t enuff stress on these celebs, and you go on accusing him of being gay. what the big deal? half of the boy bands ( if not all ) are basically cross dressing, acting gay and all that, you dont see the netizens harrasing THEM. srsly, dont you think it’s enuff ? ==” those netizens need to get lives, no joke.
You know, I remember my time in Beijing walking the campus of Beijing University with my friend Wei talking about suicide. She knew a girl in her high school who couldn’t handle the pressure of her parents and society pushing her to be “perfect”. In Western society many people don’t understand what kind of pressure these people live under and it is sad to hear that so many end their lives like this each year. Gay or not, it is upsetting to hear that a young man ended his life.
http://clancop.wordpress.com
Rest in peace. This is getting worst. Hope the goverment is doing something on such phenomena
Oh my gosh!! this is what’s happening in a story I’m writing. It’s like every week someone commits suicide and there’s this detective who like says it’s suicide when it’s not. There’s the 14 year old girl who knows what happen. she’s a detective too. Well anyways. Yeah..you know what I think!!! I think there’s somebody out there that’s making them commit suicde. All these korean celebs. That’s what happened in my story. There’s this guy who making these people..you know..OMG I’ll stop talking now.
it’s not like anyone reads my comment anyway..= ))
Oh RIP. You were a beautiful soul.
Suicide? Man, that’s what I was gonna do… now I’ll have to do something really outrageous if I want to stand out. Clown wrestling? :/
There is wisdom in the Proverbs, even for the unbeliever. I can’t help but think of Proverbs 18:21 Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. (The Message Translation of the Holy Bible). or Life and Death are in the power of the tongue… KJV
it’s the government i tell you. they staged all this ’suicide’ acts. come on, like their movies lines that are seriously overused, their ‘in the same manner as “insertnamehere”‘ crap is getting kinda old too.
RIP to the guy
-i guess we’ll see the entire nation of Korea in hell-
how contradictory when this blog is full of gossips. psh.
ohw my god. there are so many deads these days. it isn’t even funny anymore, but’s not only in korea. think anna nicole smith, think heath ledger..
well anyway RIP
If you guys are looking for the government to help get over it. Governments oppress. Change yourself and your friends. More power for any government only makes things worse.
I bet the people who bullied him will feel guilty..
to bully someone to suicide is really really pathetic..
my heart goes out to kim ji hoo and his family
may he rest in peace
perez just linked you, popseoul
even though i wish this wasn’t the case…
http://perezhilton.com/2008-10-08-rip-122
iguess!!TOO MUCH!!if celebs are killing themselves what about the citizens?!?!..theres probably one trying to do rite this very second! Dont end ur life!!PLEASE!!
Korean netizens are so scary.
he’s gay. SO WHAT?! what the hell does him being gay have to do with people who are just watching him on TV!! jesus. netizens need to be slapped senseless so they wake up and see what kind of cruel things their doing. i mean, for the poor model to commit suicide at the age of 23, the netizens must of have tortured him alot, their practically murderers!. i hope that guilt eats at their hearts!. his poor family!.
RIP my heart goes out to you Kim Ji-Hoo.
don’t stop by in a couple of days, and this is what I see?
gracious this is crazy!
what?
he is too good looking, why call him gay? the nerve!
Right. I see a lot of comments here, and generally I agree with, or can at least understand what the people here are saying.
But Akira? You are racist. Don’t even bother to deny it. You are racist, and your comments not only show racism but also ignorance as to what Korea is actually like.
I am the Korean netizen above who wrote about Harisu. I am living in Korea, I understand Korean and I use the Korean internet. And I can tell you that an overwhelming majority of Korean netizens are in favour of the government minding its own business and not trying to control the Korean internet. If you had actually visited Korean portal sites and read the posts there, you would know this. But instead you judge Korea on how you perceive it to be in your sick twisted anti-Korean racist mind.
The truth hurts? Well, for the truth to hurt there would actually need to be truth. Your comments contain no truth.
Koreans are famous for being sheep-headed and authority-worshipping? Hah. Yes..which is why over a million people signed an online petition to impeach the current president. Which is why people are still going out to the streets to hold candlelight protests against the Korean government(although I notice it’s not being reported in non-Korean media much anymore). Because Koreans are so authority-worshipping, and they do anything the Korean government says. Pfft.
I don’t know where the hell you’re living, and what kind of messed-up crap you’ve been reading about Korea, but not everything which happens in Korea is reported everywhere in the world. Judging Korea on ‘what you’ve seen in the media about Korea’ is pathetic.
You’ve been to Korea 4 times? And this is your final judgement on Korea and all things Korean? Well, they say birds of a feather flock together. Maybe you met a lot of idiotic racist ignorant Koreans because you shared the same chracteristics with them. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
모르면 ㅈㄹ하지 말고 닥치고 있던가. 이런 ㅄ하고 대화하는 나도 한심하지만, 도저히 가만히 지나칠 수 없어서 한마디 하고 간다.
Some comments here seem to suggest (or outright state) that all Koreans are homophobic. I don’t know how many people here actually use the Korean internet, but: not true. Well, only partially true.
Yesterday a post on the Korean portal site Daum gathered a lot of 선플 (good comments) and positive votes. The post was about Korean celebrity 홍석천 (Hong Seok Cheon) who is, you guessed it, gay. There were NO 악플 (bad comments). Not one single netizen expressed hate, fear or revulsion in their comments, and not a single netizen insulted 홍석천.
Clearly, non-homophobic Koreans exist. I consider myself to be a non-homophobic Korean. And there are..at least 600 non-homophobic Korean netizens like myself, apparently.
Non-homophobia isn’t just restricted to Korean teenage girls. Some netizens in the comments of this post claim they are in their 30s. And male. And straight.
Don’t believe me? For those who can read Korean, see for yourself:
http://tvzonebbs3.media.daum.net/griffin/do/phoshop/read?bbsId=A000009&articleId=244777
See the netizens deliberately using the word 형 (hyung) in their comments. It’s an affectionate term for an older male, used only by males. By using this word you say that a. you are male, b. you have respect and affection for the male you are addressing.
In other words, some Korean men are using this term to declare their support for 홍석천. For those who have been spoon-fed stereotypes from the media (or elsewhere) about how all Korean men are homophobic, this disproves the myth.
I’m male. And straight. And pro-LGBT, and non-homophobic. Did I mention I’m Korean?
What a cutie too x_X
Rest in peace.
omg… are koeans so straitlaced and so narrow minded.. duuhh…whats wrong with being gay…. gosh, what a waste, something must be wrong with the way they handle things emotionally … hello….gosh i hate people so judgemental, as if being immoral matters….. duuh
OMGGGGGGGGGGGG! WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING???? I DON’T UNDERSTAND! THIS HASS TO STOP ASAP!
Am sure they have enough means to see a psychiatrist.
If embarrassed to see one, FAITH will do.
Those ppl makes so angry how can they do that what’s with the fact of being gay, that doesnt concern them
I’m so sad to learn he’s dead because of such peoples can’t stand it
Rest in Peace
R.I.P.
I thought you had to have a tough skin to be in the entertainment industry but I guess in S. Korea this doesn’t apply. Don’t the celebrities their know that hash criticism, rumors and haterism comes with the territory?
They have to learn to brush it off ignore it and move on or at least seek help if it is that bad.
Attacks from netizens will never be stopped so some of these celebs need to really ask themselves if they can take it and if not to get out of the business becoz it’s not worth losing ones life.