Kira Hermansen editor (Denmark)
In Korean society, mental health issues aren’t a thing you talk about. Talking openly about your mental health problems is a taboo in Korea and the national attitude surrounding metal illnesses is not looked at as something that could and should be openly discussed.
Because of the norm about mental health, some Korean artist have struggled a lot with it behind closed doors. A few years ago, you never heard a word about your favorite idols mental state, but a lot has changes over the last couple of years. It all started in December 2017 when famous boy group member Jonghyun from Shinee took his own life because of his long struggle with depression. The news took the world by storm and no one could believe what had happened. Not long after that Sulli from the famous girl group f(x) took her own life after a longer period with cyper bullying. Six weeks after that, one of Sulli’s good friends Goo Hara took her own life and right after her, a former boy group member of Surprise U Cha In-ah took his own life. In a span of 2 months, these three celebrities Sulli, Goo Hara and Cha In-ah where found dead, the fans of the deceased were speechless, and the entertainment industry became more focused and attentive on their artists metal health after these horrible accidents.
Artists actually began getting help and the right treatment for their mental issues, and more artists has spoken up about them dealing with depression and anxiety. Nowadays artists are sent on a hiatus if they show symptoms of having a mental health issue and come back when they’ve got the right treatment for their problem. Fans also want the best for their favorite artists even though it will mean that they can’t see them for a while.
Artists actually began getting help and the right treatment for their mental issues, and more artists has spoken up about them dealing with depression and anxiety. Nowadays artists are sent on a hiatus if they show symptoms of having a mental health issue and come back when they’ve got the right treatment for their problem. Fans also want the best for their favorite artists even though it will mean that they can’t see them for a while.
There has also been a lot of songs from different Korean pop artists about mental health, Jonghyun from Shinee composed some songs about his struggles with depression, one of them being “Lonely” which he sang together with Taeyeon from Girls Generation, who’ve also spoken about having a hard time with her mental health. The beautiful melancholic balled sung by two amazing singers, touches on the topics of loneliness and the fear of burdening others with our problems. At the same time, the melody gives a sense of comfort as the core message behind this duet is to be understood.
One of Jonghyun’s hardest songs to listen to is “Let Me Out”, where he pours out his raw emotions and leaves listers with tears in their eyes. It’s a song about his depression and how he’s feeling, he lets the listeners hear how he has it deep within and let them see him in vulnerable light. Jonghyun also composed a song and gifted it to fellow artist Lee Hi called “Breath”, who made the song so beautiful with her lyrics. Lee Hi talked about having a mild form of panic disorder and having difficulties breathing, therefor she wanted to help others who is maybe going through the same.
The famous K-pop band BTS also did a campaign for their albums about loving yourself, this was a collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The campaign was focused on helping children sending a powerful message about anti-bullying, promoting selflove among young people across the world.
The Korean industry has become much better dealing with mental health and idols are getting the treatment that they need. Even though entertainments have come far with the mental health of their artists, it’s not at its full potential. It has taken a long time for the industry to realize that their artists mental health is the first priority and some entertainments still don’t acknowledge it because of their lack of money. We can only hope that mental health issues won’t be a stigma in the future, and it will become a subject that is more discussed for people to be more comfortable with what they are dealing with.
Kira Hermansen editor (Denmark)
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