These Koreans need to have religion and practice it. i noticed it is all about money and fame that made them commit suicide. my goodness, there are better things in life than all these material things. i feel bad because i found her very strong after surpassing everything by herself and she will end up her life just because of the rumor she was incriminated surrounding the suicide of Ahn Jae Hwan.

if material things are the ones you worship, really you won't see the value and meaning of your life.

Lee Eun Joo killed herself because of the debt she had to pay.
Jung Da Bin thought she was a forgotten star and no more project for her.
Ahn Jae Hwan has $4M debt
now Choi Jin Shil has killed herself and what prompted her was the debt of Ahn Jae Hwan.

they lost hope because they never had FAITH in GOD nor they do not have THEIR GOD.

oh my gawwwdddd NO WAY T__T

i completely agree with cattleya. there are too many deaths going around right now. its pretty depressing. :[

This was seriously, very, very, very shocking for me. When I first read about Jung Dabin's suicide, my reaction was... "What??? HER?? SHE committed suicide?!!" I seriously thought she was the last person I expected to commit suicide.

But this, this is probably more shocking to me. Choi Jinshil!!! Her young kids, her soaring career, that happy face she always showed to the public... I feel really sorry for her family. Choi had it really tough in her younger days; she struggled so much since high school, and even after she made it big in the Korean entertainment, she married a jerk and suffered from their divorce. Oh my gosh, this is really unbelievable.

I wonder what troubles she was having that pushed her over the edge; it can't solely be because of the malicious rumors about her involvement in Ahn Jaehwan's debt and depression. Sigh. I really hope these tragic deaths stop soon.

OMG! One of my favorite actresses, this is unbelievable! What the heck is happening with all these star suicides? Oh my goodness, this is so tragic, I have been a fan for such a long time.

RIP.

It must have been hard for her to deal with the rumors, but she still should have lived for her children. Now, her children have to live without a birth mother.

Oh no, no, no.

What is going on with the Korean entertainment world?

:(

omg, just realized jung joon-ho now has 2 of his leading ladies end their own lives (lee eun-joo was in that "unborn" horror movie with him.) their colleagues must be in absolute shock...or are they all numbed by it now?

I am so sorry to hear this news, so many deaths this year. But haven't other actresses committed suicide in the same fashion, hanging? (Jung Dabin, Lee Eun Joo) Doesn't it make you wonder if there is a serial killer? Or maybe a cult? Or is it just the "norm" for females to hang themselves when committing suicide? They always relate it to depression, but she had 2 children, I can't imagine a mother who has the sole custody of her children doing this. And she was just in Last Scandal, which had good ratings. I hope they will have an investigation. And rest in peace, you will be missed.

awww sad, but who is she?

whaaaattt!!! what a messed up.. omg, what is going on with the korean celebs lately.. like how many celebs are there who died this year.. what a bad luck year for some korean celebs.. this story is really intresting, i wonder what is really happening...

that is so sad, i loved her in 'last scandal'. it just feels weird that theres been so many suicides so far this year. *sigh* suicide is not the solution people! no matter how tough life gets, its the bumps in the road that makes life, life.
may she rest in peace and my condolences to her family.

i know God has nothing to do with this, but if a person has a strong relationship with his/her God, surely he would carry on. the thing with these Koreans committing suicide they care more about their name, fame, money etc...all about material things. they are materially rich and spiritually poor thus they find it easy to kill themselves as an answer to their problem.
they are celebrities and part and parcel of being a celebrity is rumor, whether by a netizen or by the press, but they must have strong disposition to battle this. nothing was worse than having gone through a divorce and raising your kids...this money issue...it is just money...what is important you are alive and seeing the beauty of life through hard times and good times, and know that it is a gift to us by someone...that we must treasure it for nothing is more valuable on earth but to have this life.

HUH?! WHAT? I was like "huh" when i saw the headline, this is indeed very shocking and it urged me to post a comment on your blog for the first time.
Choi Jin Shil has this elegant and beauty that attracts me, i love her drama with ahn jae wook "star in my heart" i remembered i love that drama so much when i was small. I've been a kdrama fan since that drama.........

I just can't believe she's that kind of person who will commit suicide easily and especially when she got two kids........

OMGGGGGGG........... shocked.........

OMG
...what just...

About that money issue . . .

Look guys, the issue with loans and debt (esp. harassment from loan agents) is a big, big problem in Korea. We Yanks don't really have a comparable situation. It's not about a bunch of online anons saying a bunch of horrible lies or some kind of "money isn't everything" homily that solved everything. It's about honest people in debt losing homes, having their families threatened by criminals, having everything they own liquidated and taken away. If you cannot pay the debt, your innocent children will inherit your debt, possibly destroying their own future. They can't afford school. They can't get married because no family would accept that child's monetary obligation. And yes, debt is a big cause of suicide among adults.

It is really, really ugly shit. And Choi Jin Shil's death is part of a greater tragedy.

^ well said belleza. it's so true...

i hope no one else has to suffer. i know that cjs and jsh were in a tight knit group. prayers go out to their families and friends.

this is so, so sad.

Choi Jin Shil is another record in Korea where committed suicide rating is the highest among Asia countries (the 2nd is Japan). Regardless actors/stars or common people, Koreans indeed have lots of pressure for living.
It must be really hard for her to decide leaving her very young kids behind.

@belleza: we do have something comparable. it's called the housing crisis.
but yeah, we don't have people harassing us and children inheriting parent's debt.

Did CJS also owe money to people? I just can't really see why she would kill herself over rumors if she didn't have any debt like AJH.

Honestly, even if you believe in God and have your spiritual relationship locked down, really, if you are just depressed beyond the point of reason, it can happen.

God may be perfect, but humans are flawed creations. There have been couples that have religion but when the one spouse dies, they try to follow. You can't just say that if you have enough belief in God, depression (clinical or otherwise) doesn't enter the equation. If life was like that there would be no need for psychologists and zoloft.

@cattleya: Wow, way to generalize. I can't believe there are people think that God is the only answer to save oneself from emotional stress and mental illness. That's just as annoying as people who say they can't give sympathy to a suicide victim, but they care enough to write those kinds of comments?

Are you serious??
I cant believe this. My whole fam loves Choi Jin Shil. She's around the same age as my mom, and we just LOVED LAST SCANDAL.
What about her kids. oh man.

omg! im in shock!!! i mean last i heard was she was preparing for season 2 of LS. then suddenly this. and another suicide could be the reason.
what a year.
gosh. i feel bad.
now i feel SunHee will feel even worse.
her kids. she just won the custody right?
i feel so bad for the family and friends..
so shocked at so many star deaths.
does it have to with debts people get in korea?
like in WOM?
i cant even think what problems these people had to end it like that.
women at that.

"@belleza: we do have something comparable. it’s called the housing crisis."

If half of our (i.e. American) banks used enforcers, then sure. Imagine actually being afraid for your life and your children's life if you were behind on payments. America actually provides a lot of protection for people in debt.

That said, I may be completely wrong about this issue with Choi Jin Shil. But I resent any intimations about a lack of personal faith or a lack of consideration for her children. Especially from us middle-class Americans who have all these legislated protections to avoid this kind of situation.

this is so shocking.
My heart goes out to her family and friends.

She was my hero. She went through a tough divorce and custody battle, walking off with sole custody of her two sons and made people laugh and cry on television, doing what she does best. oh she was so talented. Why would she fight so hard just to give up....

this is so sad... she was my first favorite actress in the early 90s.
just the other day, i was looking at pictures of her kids, too (wow, that makes me look like a stalker...i was looking up star babies and they popped up)!!!

i can't even imagine the stress she and other k stars are under (though my own life isn't pie). DEBT and, by extension, REPUTATION are important factors in living what koreans consider the "good life" and the pressure of dealing with loan sharks can drive a person to the edge. i don't know if choi jin shil had lent ahn jae hwan money, but it's a tragedy that such a strong person chose death.

This is such a tragic..so sad...so many suicide in Korea and Japan. My heart goes out to her 2 lovely kids and her loved one. They must be in a tremedous pain and suffering. May the memories of her always remain true in our heart and spirit. Please no more suicide...you will only make your loved one suffer even greater.

"Have the courage to live. Anyone can die.”

I really don't believe any of us has the right to judge her. We don't know her personally. We don't know what exactly pushed her to suicide, nor will we ever understand the subtleties of her situation in life. We can only grieve that she was driven to suicide, and for her children, family, and friends and we should leave it at that.

OMG. this is too sudden.

i'm in shock.. again..
i never saw this news coming from her..
and she was such a good actress..

this is so bad..
such a bad year for the korean celebs..
a lot of talented people gone..

may you guys rest in peace..
RIP CJS..

this is just so sad, i cant believe it!! she's one of my favorite actresses..why did this happen..i cant help but cry..

That is just so sad... her poor kids. I'm still in shock.

I just finished watching her recent drama, "Last Scandal," I have grown to like her as an actress, this news is indeed very shocking! My condolonces to the family and especially to her two kids! May she rest in peace. It's just hard to believe that a woman like her, who has been through a lot will commit suicide. It will be too simplistic if the only reason for her suicide is the lending money issue. I mean she was able to pull through a big domestic turmoil and yet still managed to get her career on track and everything..

RIP Choi Jin-Shil.

OMG. Her kids!

This really HASN'T been a good year for K celebrities.... And linked to that horrible suicide as well. I don't get it. Why? she was so young, beautiful, and talented. Not to mention the fact that she had two beautiful children to take care of. What could have pushed her to it?

I don't understand why people do this, and I wish I never do.

RIP CJS. I hope you find peace and happiness, wherever you may be.

so many recent star deaths. it's really sad. Choi Jin-shil, Rest In Peace.

and also, just wondering...she had sole custody of her kids, right? where were they when she passed? =/ [is that a callous thing to ask?]

and anyone who said that it's because they have no religion or whatever, actually, as of 2005, more than half of South Korea is either Buddhist or Christian, and having no religion or faith in God has nothing to do with it. And those who say suicide is selfish, I mean, yeah, I can understand how you can think that. But please realize that depression is real, and people probably have reasons for doing things like committing suicide. In some cases, suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem, but at other times it's caused by real reasons. We'll probably never understand exactly why people do the things that they do. You can only accept their decisions and pray for them. [i'm not condoning suicide, btw.]

this is... unbelievable. i came onto dramabeans to find the post of kim jae wook to send to my friend... and scrolled down to *happily* see the cast of korean F4...and then another scroll and i was in shock... i can't believe she is gone. i'm in the middle of watching 'last scandal' and it'll definately be so weird to finish it now... she was such a beautiful and talented actress... my condolences to her family and her children especially :o(

RIP Choi Jin Shil

Oh my...i was so shocked when i read the news a few minutes ago...it was so unexpected...RIP Choi Jin Shil

It's just so sad. In the 90s, Choi Jin Shil was like the Julia Roberts of Korea, the real-life Cinderella who was the breadwinner of her single-parent family. And in this decade, she transcended merely being a star and kinda become the ultimate survivor. I mean, some pigs in the media even suggested that CJS DESERVED the physical abuse and humiliation she received from her husband.

But she overcame all that, this year, she had a hit show and a talk show, and won the rights to her own children. And I remember watching her chatting happily on Ya Shim Man just a few months ago. She didn't have everything; she fought for everything she had. And in an Evita Peron sort of way, her personal and professional victories were our victories. This strong, independent, courageous woman was absolutely devastated, devastated by the death of her close friend.

OMIGOD!!! I totally didnt see this coming. I was staring at my screen for a whole 2 minutes gaping when I first opened your site.. she's so good at TLSoML and I was totally looking forward for the sequel. I hope you're gonna post more news about this Sarah, thank's!

Rest in peace.
I feel sorry for the children; they're still so young.

Hello Everybody!

I just finished reading about Ms. Choi Ji Shil dead. Untill now i can't believe . It is really shock. I love her so much. I am Vietnamese and i watched her movie on Vietnam television from the first beginning Korean movie come to Viet Nam. So, now we can't see her anymore..Why she did that? we can't know to exactly what was happen in her life but Oh My God....

Last month, I watched her movie on our television here. It was very good movie, sorry i forgot the english name. And every night i alway watch KBS chanel. Two months ago i watched her movie on KBS chanel ....I mean that everytime when i turn on my television at home then i am alway looking for her movie....But now....not any more.....

Now she is gone! God bless for her!

But i am really very very sad....
I love You! Ms. Choi Ji Shil

She was obviously not in her right mind when she committed suicide. For a mother to leave her beloved children behind, something must have snapped in her head. It's sad that people around her didn't know how seriously ill she was OR maybe they just didn't know how to help her. Either case, it's too late. It's also feels very senseless--a life wasted.