Roh left a suicide note on his computer that he was going through hard times, apparently referring to the recent bribery probe surrounding him and his family [more on Yonhap]

Roh, 62, was South Korea’s President in 2003-2008. He moved to Bongha Village, near his birthplace, after leaving the office in March 2008.

Reports have suggested that investigation on Roh and his family is likely to be ended following his death; and it might be what Roh was hoping for.

His death still sounds fishy though… leaving a suicide note on PC instead of a hand written one? And amusingly discovered by his aides in hours? Who would bother to check his PC shortly after his death? It’s just a bit too convenient imo.

Former S. Korean President dies in suspected suicide from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Woo’s family revealed that she was suffering from serious depression because of both work and relationship issues, and was receiving treatment at a hospital.

Wonder when this suicide trend is going to end; as mentioned by Javabeans, “it’s a sad day when news like this is no longer shocking…” couldn’t say it any better.

Rest in peace.

Another Korean celebrity suicide from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Koreans were shocked by numerous celebrity suicide incidents in 2008, including the death of Ahn Jae-hwan, Choi Jin-shil and a few lesser known artists.

The unfortunate trend seems to continue in 2009 with the death of Jang on March 7th, while trot singer Lee Chang-young was also found dead in an apparent suicide on March 12th.

Jang was initially ruled to have ended her life because of stress/depression, but the situation took a sudden twist following revelation from Jang’s ex-manager, Yoo, that Jang’s suicide was a conspiracy.

Yoo said that Jang had requested him (on Feb 28) to hand over a seven-page document to her family should anything happen to her; and the document hinted that Jang (and some other female artists) might have been physically and sexually abused by prominent figures in the entertainment industry.

The revelation has caused uproar in the Korean public, and Yoo himself is said to have attempted suicide on March 14th because of the immense pressure. The police is now investigating into the claims [with reference from Hanfever and Seoulbeats]

Hope that justice could be served. Rest in peace.

[update] Police are seriously investigating the scandal. CEO of Jang’s former agency has been arrested.

South Koreans shaken by latest actress suicide from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Choi was found dead on October 6; he was the second entertainer who committed suicide following the death of actress Choi Jin-shil last week. Earlier on October 3, transsexual entertainer Jang Chae-won committed suicide ala Choi Jin-shil’s method.

Initial police investigations suggested that Kim committed suicide because of career block and online harassment of his sexual preference, while Jang chose the path because of a broken relationship.

I’ve read somewhere that there was at least another two copycat suicide since Choi’s death… and the Korean authorities are fearing that the suicide chain would create a domino effect in the Korean society, which is already fragile with their high suicide rate.

Stop blaming the internet

The Korean government is drafting a law against malicious rumours and slandering via the internet, as the online harassment is seen as one of the major causes of entertainers’ suicide.

I doubt the law could work though; and the effect would be minimal even if it works, because the problem is not the internet itself… it’s a cultural and society problem.

Internet is just a medium that pulled the final trigger; there are still other mediums for spreading rumours and slanders… what the Koreans need are to find the root cause and solve the problems once and for all.

Another Hallyuwood suicide from YeinJee's Asian Blog

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Korean actress Choi Jin-shil commits suicide from YeinJee's Asian Blog

State-run Korea Youth Counseling Institute released a poll finding on Tuesday (Sept 9) indicating that six in every 10 South Korean teenagers have thought about taking their own lives at least once [via Yonhap]

According to the survey of 4,700 middle and high school students, 58.8% of the respondents had thought of suicide; and 11.1% of the respondents attempted suicide.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) earlier said that there were 12,174 suicides representing 5% of all deaths in 2007. It’s also said that an annual average 23.6 Koreans committed suicide out of 100,000 people in the last five years, which is one of the highest levels in the world.

I almost didn’t want to believe the news report at the beginning, because the figures are a bit overwhelming for me… that’s like more than 30 Koreans are dying each day from suicide; the Korean government needs to treat this issue with serious urgency.

59% of Korean teens think of suicide from YeinJee's Asian Blog

Early investigation suggested that he died of smo­ke in­h­al­atio­n by burning charcoal inside the car. He left a suicide note expressing his love for his wife, comedian-actress Jung Sun-hee, whom he married in November 2007.

It’s unknown if he had stated the reason(s) for his suicide in his final note, but it’s believed that he ended his life because of financial stress from business failure.

Rest in peace Ahn Jae-hwan. My condolences to his wife and family.

Korean actor Ahn Jae-hwan committed suicide from YeinJee's Asian Blog