The death of Moonbin, a popular K-pop singer, has shocked fans around the globe and once again brought attention to the pressures such performers face.
Astro’s 25-year-old member was an accomplished vocalist, actor, and model. His demise occurred in the midst of his duo’s world tour with fellow Astro member Sanha.
Moonbin “appears to have committed suicide,” according to the police, who are still investigating the cause of death.
It is the latest in a series of sudden deaths of young South Korean celebrities in the entertainment industry.
Actress Jung Chae-yull, age 26, was discovered dead in her residence earlier this month. In August of last year, actress Yoo Joo-eun died at age 27.
Sulli, a former member of the girl group f(x), died in 2019 at the age of 25 after a lengthy battle with cyberbullying. A month later, her close friend and fellow K-pop star Goo Hara were discovered deceased at home.
Not all deaths were classified as suicides. However, the loss of Moonbin has renewed interest in the extremely competitive world of Korean entertainment.
The difficult path to K-pop Stardom
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South Korea, known for its hypercompetitive culture, also has the highest adolescent suicide rate among developed nations. While the country’s overall suicide rate is decreasing, fatalities among those in their twenties are increasing.
Rob Schwartz, Asia correspondent for Billboard Magazine, explains that being a celebrity in South Korea would put them under significantly greater strain than pop stars in North America or Europe.
The competition is intense from the start. Young aspirant Koreans frequently choose to pursue careers as entertainers.
According to a survey conducted by the South Korean Ministry of Education in 2021, actors, models, and singers were among the top 10 dream careers for elementary school students.
To become a K-pop star, the majority of individuals must endure a rigorous training period, which could last for years. As a result, they will likely lose contact with their friends and colleagues.
Moonbin had to train for eight years before making his début as a member of the idol group Astro, despite having appeared as a child actor in the Asia-widely popular Korean drama Boys Over Flowers at the age of 11.
Moon Sua, his sister and a K-pop singer with the female band Billlie, spent twelve years preparing.
After multiple rigorous phases of selection, only a handful of trainees reach the stage. They will enter an industry that is already saturated with talent.
Mr. Schwartz noted that the control exerted by celebrities’ agencies and fan culture are two major contributors to the enormous stress that Korean celebrities experience.
Formerly, it was common for new hires to be bound by so-called slave contracts – lengthy exclusive agreements with little control over their schedule or financial compensation.
In spite of the fact that some K-pop stars have won court cases releasing them from unreasonable contracts in the past few years, he does not believe that the relationship between the two parties has profoundly changed.
Mr. Schwartz asserts that “K-pop stars have more control in the sense that they are less controlled.” Although things have changed, I would not necessarily say that they have improved.
And sometimes the fans’ enthusiasm, heightened by the country’s extraordinarily active social media, could be a double-edged sword.
Mr. Schwartz explains,
“They scrutinize their every action and comment on their hair.” “It’s absurd how closely they observe these men.”
Once they have made their debut, celebrities are intently observed not only by their fans but by all of society. In a country where inequality has long been a topic of discussion, public figures are held to elevated standards.
Drunk driving, which is commonly regarded as one of the gravest offenses a public figure can commit in South Korea, has the potential to terminate a person’s career there.
After crashing her car while driving under the influence, the 22-year-old renowned actress Kim Sae-ron confronted a massive backlash from the public.
Ha Jae-kun, a Korean pop culture critic, asserts that, compared to other nations, celebrities in Korea are held to a very high moral standard.
“If a celebrity deviates slightly from what is deemed ‘decent,’ the public would assault them. It is difficult for a celebrity to disregard this type of assault due to the intense social pressure generated by strong collectivism.”
The disgrace
According to informants, being a celebrity with mental health issues could be extremely difficult.
In a 2017 interview with BBC Korean, rap icon Swings, who himself has been diagnosed with multiple mental disorders, disclosed the potential burden it could pose for them.
“It’s like walking around naked,” he said. “They say, ‘I thought this guy was ill, you know, how does he get on stage to perform?'” They are obviously unaware of the situation.”
Some K-pop idols have taken extended vacations for mental health reasons.
Jeongyeon, a member of the popular girl group Twice, has taken four breaks due to mental health concerns and a neck injury since 2020. She returned to the competition last month. In 2019 and 2020, Moonbin also went on hiatus, citing health reasons.
Multiple agencies have also implemented therapy for recruits and celebrities. In 2020, Naver, the most popular search engine in South Korea, removed the comments section beneath its entertainment news because the environment had become potentially noxious.
However, some still do not foresee imminent momentum for fundamental change.
“K-pop is its own entity, and everyone wants to improve it for K-pop idols. But how do you accomplish this?” argues Mr. Schwartz.
“The super fans are so obsessed with these idols that it appears to be a vicious cycle for them to perform at a high level under a microscope.”
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