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South Korean Celebrity Deaths Continue
Guy Rockets in Flight
Wasteful...
Korean Politicos in Media Law Riot!
Kim Jong Il More Web Savvy Than The Average Despot
"I'd Take You Back to the House But, Well, I Don't Live There Anymore."
Who Says Newspapers Are Dead?
Internet addicts sent to bootcamp
Korean website tangles with Google over self-esteem issues

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BlinkyMcChuck
11/20/09

In reply to South Korean Celebrity Deaths Continue
God, this is horrible. I loved her work.
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yourfriendandneighbor
11/20/09

In reply to South Korean Celebrity Deaths Continue
also, can't depression be hereditary? like any other disease? maybe it's predominant in asians? or in some ethnicities.
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iplaudius
11/20/09

In reply to South Korean Celebrity Deaths Continue
This is awful. Not only was she an extremely beautiful woman, but she was smart, funny, creative, and inspiring to so many people. I hope her blog stays up as a memorial.
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skt.smth
11/20/09

In reply to South Korean Celebrity Deaths Continue
I think a lot of the reason why people end up committing suicide in East Asia (particularly Japan and Korea) is because depression, eating disorders, and things like that, aren't broadly categorized among the public as issues requiring specialized attention. As a result, there isn't much public sympathy or support to be expected in such situations. Also, "face" is a big thing, so when you have people saying vile things about you on the internet and you have no way of fighting back, I'm sure it begins to take its toll. There are a lot of things about fame that American celebrities just assume they'll have to put up with, but which Korean/Japanese celebs find unendurable for a variety of cultural reasons.

I believe Korean websites with comments/forum sections are required to use a universal, real-ID type system in order to connect an individual's comments to his/her actual identity, likely because of events like this. I know for a fact that Koreans can't post to Youtube because it doesn't contain a universal ID system.
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finite_elephant
11/20/09

@skt.smth: Korea is in this sort of weird celebrity transition. On one hand, K-pop is somewhat aping US hip-hop of the late 90s (complete with fly girls), and there are widespread rumors of sex-for-fame deals with rich execs, but publicly, the press will condemn a celeb on the least bit of public impropriety. Michelle Wie got slammed for her shirt riding up a bit when swinging her club at an LPGA event and showing off her navel. That's what constitutes a scandal in Korea.

Then there's the conflict between an emerging western-style (read: intrusive) entertainment press and eastern expectations of privacy and decorum, mix it with a population that's obsessive and constantly online, and this is what you get.
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daveyjonesisdead promoted this comment finite_elephant was starred finite_elephant was unstarred

daveyjonesisdead
11/20/09

@finite_elephant: Based on the history above, it all looks like abuse/intolerance of sexuality of, young entertainers. In this country they just grow up and go on reality shows which, much as I dislike them, is a better option.
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finite_elephant
11/20/09

@daveyjonesisdead: Not so much intolerance (though there is that when it comes to homosexuality and foreigners), but that same contradictory combination of prudishness and fascination with sexy celebs that America has, but taken to an extreme.
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skt.smth
11/20/09

@finite_elephant: I think it also has to do with the fact that, while Koreans usually exhibit a larger cultural kinship (the idea that "we're all one"), because of fame, something that sets them clearly apart from the rest of the culture, celebrities automatically don't fit into that model. So while private individuals wouldn't usually be targets of othering, online or elsewhere, celebrities are seen as fair game, ostensibly because they've decided to put themselves out there under society's microscope. That's why every move, every word, is scrutinized. In Korea, celebrities are "the nail that sticks up above all others." And the cultural tendency is to hammer it back down.

To be fair, we do the same thing in America, but not for the same reasons. Rather than seeking to put celebrities back into normative social positions by hammering them down, it seems that we just take special glee in criticizing the rich and famous, i.e. the people we hope to emulate, because it makes us feel better about ourselves.

Of course, most American celebrities know that that's what's going on, so they default to the "You just jealous!" position and go on with their lives most of the time.
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Edited by skt.smth at 11/20/09 6:58 PM skt.smth was starred skt.smth was unstarred

hilikusopus
11/20/09

In reply to South Korean Celebrity Deaths Continue
This reminds me of Gladwell's discussion of sexy suicide in Micronesia as basically a socially infectious meme. I wonder whether Korea's relatively high level of internet infrastructure can be correlated with this phenomenon; just in the Guardian passage quoted above, 3 of the 6 suicide cases mentioned relate directly to the internet, and now this latest one with her final morbid blog entry: depression, suicide, megalomania, internet.
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Smitros promoted this comment Edited by hilikusopus at 11/20/09 10:01 AM hilikusopus was starred hilikusopus was unstarred

Smitros
11/20/09

@hilikusopus: Kay Redfield Jamison has also covered suicide as a social epidemic in Night Falls Fast, all too relevant in DC given our recent spate of Metro track suicides.
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DaeSu
11/20/09

In reply to South Korean Celebrity Deaths Continue
Roh M00-hyun was South Korea's former president, not prime minister
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Ravi Somaiya
11/20/09

@DaeSu: Thanks, corrected.
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adiam7
11/20/09

In reply to South Korean Celebrity Deaths Continue
This is tragic, I wonder if the suicide rates among young people has also spiked
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Motoko Kusanagi
11/20/09

In reply to South Korean Celebrity Deaths Continue
Wow that list of suicide rates is enlightening. Former Soviet Bloc, FTW!

In Japan and Korea, you have people who are deadly serious about honor and appearances.
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KatScratchFever
11/20/09

In reply to South Korean Celebrity Deaths Continue
Seppuku, motherfuckers.
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squinko
11/20/09

@KatScratchFever: That would be appropriate if she was Japanese and not Korean. Moron.
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KatScratchFever
11/20/09

@squinko: Wow. Calm down. I would freely reference that act in regards to anyone from any country who offed themselves because they felt they were dishonorable. It obviously doesn't apply to every person mentioned in this article. Good job with the assumptions there, dick.
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Calraigh promoted this comment KatScratchFever was starred KatScratchFever was unstarred

Calraigh
11/20/09

@KatScratchFever: FAIL.
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m4ximusprim3
09/30/09

In reply to Guy Rockets in Flight
This looks extremely freaking dangerous. You keep your parachute wires as far as possible from mine, y'hear?
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Smitros
09/29/09

In reply to Guy Rockets in Flight
. . . ROK Delight?
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Flashman
09/29/09

In reply to Guy Rockets in Flight
Perhaps they're discussing the merits of carbonated vs. non-carbonated Calpico.
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BettyCrocker
09/29/09

In reply to Guy Rockets in Flight
Tool Academy Triplets
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NoWireHangers
09/29/09

In reply to Guy Rockets in Flight
Surrender Dorothy
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RollsRoyceRevenge
09/29/09

In reply to Guy Rockets in Flight
The kimchi strikes again, I see.
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