R.I.P. 안재환, 최진실, 장채원, 김지후

I can't take it anymore, I have to vent.

With the fourth (FOURTH!) high-profile Korean suicide in one month's time, I've lost my ability to see things coldly and from a distance. Yes, it's four people. Yes, we wouldn't have heard about these things if they weren't famous. But for every celebrity, there are hundreds (sometimes thousands, tens of thousands) of fans standing behind them, young people that are impressionable, older people that are disheartened.

Remember when Brooke Shields first began speaking about her postpartum depression and how many women flocked to her? Everyday women had been going through it for years, thousands of women, and they finally had a celebrity advocate. Those women were willing to speak about their experiences and more willing to take medication because a public figure had reassured them, told them about her experience. It's like that but a hundred times worse for these Korean celebrities, because they are worshiped by the youth. Mimicked in their dress, their hairstyles, their slang ... their actions.

See the problem?

First, a little bit about the four recent deaths:


September 8, 2008:

Ahn Jae Hwan (안재환), born on April 25, 1972, commits suicide by apparent carbon-monoxide poisoning.






















He leaves behind his wife, comedienne Jung Sun Hee (정선희). They were married last November.

It has been reported that Ahn Jae Hwan was suffering from failed investments and was deeply in debt, up to 4 million USD.


October 2, 2008:

Actress Choi Jin Shil (최진실), born December 24, 1968, hangs herself in her home.
























She leaves behind her two young children, a girl and a boy.

These children have been through a lot. Both are under the age of 9, and have seen their parents divorce (bitterly and publicly). Their mother was awarded sole custody, and she even had their last names changed, so they would have her name rather than their father's. Their father was accused of domestic abuse and adultery, and because both parents are famous (their father is a professional baseball player), everything was dragged through the media.

It is rumored that Choi Jin Shil lent money to Ahn Jae Hwan, something she denied in the weeks before her death.

Choi Jin Shil was also a very close friend to Ahn Jae Hwan's wife, Jung Sun Hee. Many reports have been called them best friends. Jung Sun Hee was still in shock and mourning for her husband, and finds out that her best friend has also committed suicide.


October 3, 2008:

Public figure Jang Chae Won (장채원), born in 1983, hangs herself.















She is Korea's most famous transgender, coming to fame first as a transvestite and then eventually having a sex-change operation.


October 6, 2008:

Model and actor Kim Ji Hoo (김지후), born 1985, hangs himself.

















He was famous for being on "Coming Out," a reality show about coming out of the closet. He came out as being gay, still quite a taboo in Korea, particularly among the older generations.

It is said that he was very depressed from netizens (internet citizens) criticizing him for being gay.


It seems as though the common theme in all four deaths is that they were all depressed. Money trouble, family trouble, harassment from the media- something that all four of them experienced.

The word "depression" is thrown around a lot in Korean (우울증), but it is almost like a feeling. "He's cheerful." "She's annoying." "He's depressed." It doesn't seem like it's treated as an actual condition that needs medical attention, which is how it is treated here, in the states.

I know that I'm an American and so I have a very different understanding of depression. I know plenty of people on anti-depressants, and I know lots of people that go to therapy. I think it's healthy for people to deal with their depression (or any other feelings) in a way that helps them to work past their obstacles. I don't judge anyone for taking medication or for seeing a psychiatrist.

In Korea, it's completely different. Taking anti-depressants is the same thing as admitting that you have a mental disorder. "Depression" in the American sense is, to Koreans, a mental disorder, on par with bipolar disorder or psychosis.

It's the result of a centuries-old culture that disdains weakness and appreciates strength and perseverance. I know this, but I still find it so incredibly unfair.

What if any of the four deaths could have been prevented? What if Choi Jin Shil could have lived long enough to see her children get married, to meet her grandchildren? What if Ahn Jae Hwan had lived long enough to have children with his wife? What if Jang Chae Won had lived long enough to see that transgender rights were implemented, and they weren't heckled, weren't tormented? What if Kim Ji Hoo had lived long enough to see gay marriage become legal?

Like the butterfly effect, these deaths have irrevocably changed the course of history. Maybe in a big way: Maybe one of the descendants of one of these people would have come up with a cure for cancer or AIDS. Or maybe in a small way: Maybe one of them would have lived long enough to cry at their child's wedding. Regardless of the effect, regardless of how big the ripple might have been, history has been changed by the taking of lives.

The suicide rate in Korea has always been high. Among the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a group of 30 countries, Korea has the highest suicide rate. The thirty countries:

Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Korea
Luxembourg
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States

These are developed countries with no lack of food or education. Among the third-world countries, there are nations with a higher suicide rate than Korea. But within the OECD, Korea has the highest rate. In 2005, 26.1 out of every 100,000 Koreans committed suicide, compared to 10.2 out of every 100,000 Americans.

It's not a good statistic, and this issue needs to be resolved. The whole idea of depression needs to be viewed differently in Korea, or the numbers will keep climbing, and the population will continue to decline. These celebrities are, even through their untimely deaths, bringing to light a serious problem that Korea must deal with.

I do hope that all four of these people have found some semblance of peace, and I hope that they are forgiven by those that love them. To take your own life seems so selfish and self-serving. How can a child ever forgive their parent of such a thing?