As more news trickle out -- and I wish they would report it in in terms of importance of mental health once in a while, not just turn family tragedies into fawning sideshows -- it appears netizens had less to do with his depression than simply inadequate treatment. Even in the States it's easy to over-medicate if you get a doctor who would rather just throw pills at your condition then painstaking, careful monitoring and other combined treatments. I imagine it's even easier to just pop anti-depressants and hope the pain goes away (which was Choi Jin-young's case.)
Seriously, if the guy was writing messages of mental anguish on Cyworld (that more people only notice and visit after he's gone), and canceling business meetings beforehand, you have to wonder if those around him really noticed or cared enough. Sometimes it really takes a village - and sadly will be in the case of Choi Jin-sil's poor babies. RIP Choi Jin-young.

#31 samsooki ~
(page 2)
When I first STARTED reading your opinion, I thought........
WHAT? Blaming the Internet? Are you serious?
When I FINISHED reading your post.........
I had to absolutely agree with everything you had written.

Isolation is definitely one of the main ingredients for depression,
along with constant physical pain (especially among elderly people)
and pressure to "accomplish" (among young people / students).

Thank you for writing such a caring and intelligent post ~~~~

*

@53 Thank you for that info. It's a harder life when you feel you have no one to turn to.
I just wanted to add to my previous post... I think of 2 dramas recently that had suicides in them, Temptation of an Angel (which had 2 suicides) and Stars Falling From the Sky/ Wish Upon a Star. In all 3 cases of suicides the characters opted to take their lives instead of going through the legal system. Jail time was inevitable. (And in WUAS, I can't believe it was placed into a family sitcom) But I really wonder how the suicide numbers in Korea would change if dramas and films began showing characters choosing other options, as hard as they may be. Going to jail and facing your wrongs is tough... but it doesn't have to end there. And facing one's problems shows hope -- especially when a character is remorseful.

I think of one of my heroes, Joni Eareckson Tada a quadriplegic. Due to a diving accident when she was a teen, she became paralyzed from the neck down. If you read her story she recounts how she sunk into deep depression. And she could have stayed there or worse, taken her life but by grace she decided to turn her accident around to help others like her. She founded an organization that refurbishes wheelchairs and sends them all around the world, especially to developing countries where resources are scarce. They also help families with special needs, providing camps and other resources they may need.

I think of Joni's story and how her life and decisions offer hope. I just wish the productions in Korea would do the same and air more stories of hope (or just show characters who've done wrong, make amends for their wrongs instead of giving in to their despair by taking their lives.)
I've mentioned this before but I firmly believe that when you're fortunate enough to land in a place of influence that reaches many, there is a big element of social responsibility that comes with it. What will we use our influence for? ....

It all happens because of money
come on this is reality
no money - no friends
i just hope people can feed their poor children and give them proper education
for the mother , give her a job

argh this is so sad.. i feel terrible for his mother and choi jin shil's kids. there's just no way i can express what i'm feeling into words right now. *sigh*

This was posted on March 28 yet he committed suicide on March 29? Fishy...

@ peter

He passed away on the early morning (dawn, pre-dawn) hours on March 29th in Seoul, Korea. That would have made it evening hours on March 28th west coast time USA. Hence, when JB posted shortly thereafter, it was still March 28th here in the US but already March 29th in Korea. Its okay to be confused, but don't banter about words like "fishy" so easily.

Why can't one express their opinion? Those who felt it was a cowardly act have a right to say that. That doesn't mean those (including myself) do not sympathize for the mother and those two children.. THAT'S my reason for feeling this way. Those children depended on their family to keep them safe and secure. How safe and secure are they now?

The mother and kids most certainly have my sympathy and prayers.

If only sugar and spice can be voiced on this forum then go ahead and delete mine. How sad that only certain opinions can be stated..

I agree with you grace. I wish all the best for these kids, I can't even imagine what they must be going through. How could Jin Young do this. It seems so selfish. You'd think he could have held on or sought help or something for the sake of his niece and nephew and knowing what that would do to his mother. I feel so awful for the kids. I hope for god's grace and love on them.

RIP & may God bless the poor grandmother & the children.
I also don't think that suicide is cowardly: it is foolish.
Different ppl have different beliefs & ways to deal w/ the obstacles in their lives. It's true that the suicidal person is sometimes not strong enough to carry on, but it also certainly needs some kind of wills to actually commit the act.
However, is this world really SO full of misery that a living person could find all of it was so unendurable & NOTHING, even ones' OWN CHILDREN, could give them hope or a little bit of REASONS to hold on??? I will not say pretty phrases like "There is sunshine after every rainfall;" but I believe everything in life would eventually come to an end--good things, & bad things, too. The dead could escape a lot of things, but they're sure to miss out a lot, too.

Korea should be aware that they are top on the list of suicidal incidents...its very alarming. A very popular, rich country. I hope they will take actions for this, its immortal sins. Only God can take our life!!!

News of this family's continued grief fills me with sadness for the Choi family. There are no words to express the grief and pain that this mother feels for the loss of her children. Parents usually expect that they will pass before their children, but it doesn't always happen that way. I know how devastated my mother was when my brother was killed. Though his death wasn't suicide, but unexpected circumstances, it is a deep loss nonetheless whether one dies by their own hand or another. Mothers all over the world feel the same way .... heartbroken and grief-stricken to lose their children.... children that are an integral part of us and coming from us. It is sad that this family seems to have had no spiritual support during this time that I know of, and of course, I wonder about friends who are "true blue", meaning that they stand by you in the good, bad, and awful times of life. Where are they for this family???? I hope that there are friends and spiritual support available to them during this time.

There is no value in the should of or could of in this situation. The Choi's did not have the emotional fortitude to endure their pain. It is their pain which drove them to give up and seek this alternative. They didn't have an outlet for sharing their grief and could find no consolation, therefore, they moved into suicidal ideation and the completion of ending their lives. I find that sad and my heart is moved by this family's continued grief. I wish that both brother and sister could have known and realized how precious and loved they were, and they were gifted and talented in their endeavors. I have been touched by Choi Jin-shil;s talented performances and appeal as an actress and person.

My prayers and heart goes out to this family, mother and grandchildren who have lost so much. Nothing can bring back our precious children, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, nieces or nephew, or cousins once they have passed to the other side of this life into eternity. Mourning for them doesn't disappear, it just goes deeper into the heart, and we move through life feeling their absence every day. I pray that God would reach from heaven and comfort the Choi family with the comfort that only He can give. May that comfort be like the Balm of Gilead upon them, a healing infused energy, and may they feel His presence loving , protecting, and providing for them in the future. Peace and comfort to the Choi family.

Ever Always, Victoria

This is so sad.

It sucks to be depressed, even so when you are a celeb... How many real friends can you really have? Will they be there when you need them? Will you want to burden them, or at least affect them? One of the reasons people keep to themselves is to avoid affecting others. And as negative emotions manifest in many different ways, this guy took it with him, with the scariest decision he had to make.

And please, to those religious commentors, do realise that Choi's family believes in God. I believe that God knew what is best for him.

Lastly... More potrayal of depression? Lol, depression is something very personal... Something about being irrationally even though you try your best to combat it. This is something that dramas and fiction will never be able to potray without boring or stunning the audiences. All depictions of depressions in kdrama will just bring more agony and problems for depression victims.

1) They serve primary as a plot device for OTHER characters to show how fucking altruistic they are.

2) The victim always maraculously recover from some retard reason, making people who are supposed to offer more help to victims, offer less. Or pressure them to "recover" more quickly. In reality, it takes a lot to live with depression.

3) Some sympthoms of mental illness are relatively easy to feign and act out. So much that many victims are seen as actors/actresses. FIctional depictions will only further enforce this on the mass public.

4) Mental illness exists in many forms, taking into account everyone's life experiences, their innate ability to cope with it and their current environment. Generalisation will only increase with such failure of attempts to depict the reality of depression.

5) I can go up to 50 reasons but I have better things to do. People who don't want to be convinced won't be.

To all detractors lol... Yup, there is freedom of speech. But well, you will regret what you said and the silly ideas you help reinforce with your current post when you one day suffer from this illness.

the grandmother is truly in pain now cause seeing her two child died before her is a really really hard to accept...
im worried how will the children grow.
if they realize that they dont have any mother now.
being a broken family is hard. so theres a tendency to the children to become depressed and may be take suicide just like what there mother and uncle did. but suicide is not the reason for every deep problem we have. we should think the persons who will left behind... so sad

before i tried to commit suicide ...
im always thinkin how will i kill myself
kill myself with a gun..
slit my wrist
jump in to the high building..
drink lots of any medicine.
get hit by a truck...

just by thinkin it everyday...
and trying to do it everyday...
slit my wrist with a hundred times
it makes me feel better after a long hard of deppression.

:)

pray that t family will find hope and peace in almighty
God...

I JUST WANT TO GIVE MY CONDOLENCES TO THE CHOI FAMILY. REMEMBER OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN WILL NOT GIVE US NO MORE THAN WE CAN BARE. JUST REMEMBER WHAT JOB WENT THROUGH. JESUS SAID I'LL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU. WE NEED TO LOVE MORE. NOT TO JUDGE ONE ANOTHER , BUT TO EMBRACE ONE ANOTHER.

I'm truly sorry and I cried as much. I don't understand korean citizens at all, such cruelity... They should be interested more in their own lives.I think some of Korean citizens are sick fanatics.It never happened in my country!I wonder why? Maybe because we're not so absorbed with celebrities.

2 siblings death in just 1 years a part's is just too much. poor family and their child.. condolence to the family

This is so sad and cutting....its deep....pls be strong, granma and kids (boy and girl) at least some unseen force may have known this may happen TT TT
choi jin shil shoi jin young, rest in peace and be strong.
KIDS, be strong and see that everything can be got through :)

Omg speechless!!! Wow just wow.... I watched his sister's drama last week "Last Scandal" and I loved it and so I decided to search her on wiki and found out her died I was beyond shocked!!!!! Omg I mean shed seemed normal acting the drama during the same year she died and now she sucides I'm just depressed typing this word. And see then I searched her brother and found out that he sucided too!!! I was just soo sad :( how could this happen they must have experienced hell that they just could not take. Truly RIP. Granny fighting!!! Best wishes for her children, hopefully they won't take their mom's or uncle's path and live happily ;D looong siiiigh

Sorry to say this...but I have NEVER heard of celebrities killing themselves more than I have heard in Korea...what is going on in that country?!? Jesus is Needed over there, because Buddha aint workin...

[…] While doing some reading about the sad topic of suicide in Korea, I stumbled across a drama from 2008 called, “The Last Scandal of my Life“. It was so popular while it was being aired, TPTB actually considered producing a second season. Those plans came to a screaming halt when the leading lady Choi Jin Shul committed suicide after taking massive heat in the press for a loan made to a friend who also committed suicide, and the fallout from a violent marriage with DV involvement followed by an equally vicious divorce. There was a posthumous custody battle for her two children as well. Then her brother committed suicide 18 months later. The whole story is so tragic, it reads like a K-drama script itself. If you are not familiar with the story, Dramabeans did a great job of covering it, so I will let you read the details there. (1) (2) (3) (4) […]