Suicide is preventable through social care

The recent suicide of former ace baseball pitcher Cho Sung-mo, 39, traumatized the country. His death followed the suicides of his former wife, actress Choi Jin-sil, in 2008, and his brother-in-law, Choi Jin-young, in 2010. Many agree that these suicides were prompted by “anti-fans,” who spread malicious stories online.

The Internet can be two-faced. For instance, when Cho Sung-mo and Choi Jin-sil got married in 2000, their marriage was dubbed the “marriage of the century.” However, when the couple began experiencing marital problems, they’ve had to endure unbearable rumors.

Before her suicide, Choi was haunted by a rumor that actor Ahn Jae-hwan killed himself in 2008 because he was pressed to pay his debts to Choi. The actress sued the rumormongers who portrayed her as a loan shark, but to little effect. Only after the actress killed herself did police belatedly conclude that the allegation was groundless.

Cho was similarly bullied at various points in his life, which led to his

eventual suicide. For instance, when he remarried, less than a year after his divorce from Choi in 2004, anti-fans prompted him to end his new marriage. Then, after Choi’s suicide in 2008, Cho sought to take custody of his two children but soon gave up as anti-fans accused him of abusing the children, who had inherited the late actress’ wealth. In the face of the public outcry that followed, the National Assembly legislated the so-called Choi Jin-sil bill, enabling children to adopt their late mother’s surname. The bill will go into effect in July of this year.

The couple is among many celebrities victimized by anti-fans. In her master’s thesis in 2009, actress Park Jin-hee showed that 40 percent of the 260 actors she surveyed have thought of suicide at some point in their lives. About 39 percent reported that they suffer from psychological depression.

Best-selling singer Rain was disciplined for his alleged use of his official military duty hours for his personal relationship with actress Kim Tae-hee, and for violating a military uniform code outside the barracks. The singer, who is a member of the Military Entertainers Corp., frequently visits military compounds to perform. Rain was given greater leave than his fellow soldiers as an incentive for his performances, but anti-fans soon demonized Rain for abusing these privileges.

Similarly, pop star Baek Ji-young’s career was ruined after sex tapes involving the singer circulated the Internet in 2000. At the time, Baek was not aware that she was being filmed. Although sex in itself is not a scandal, but a part of every adult’s life, the actress failed to defend herself from the controversy. American celebrity heiress Paris Hilton benefited from a similar controversy in 2003, but Korean anti-fans are not as lenient.

Pop singer Tablo was a model of how a celebrity could overcome online rumors. Anti-fans spread rumors that he did not graduate from Stanford University. The rumors eventually subsided after the American university issued a copy of his school record last year. However, by that time, Tablo’s popularity had already nosedived.

Internet ethics often lag behind technological advancement. Korea boasts the world’s fastest Internet speed and the highest Internet penetration rate at 78 percent. Smartphones are ubiquitous, making it easy to transmit information through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitters. A government report shows that 48 percent of teenagers and 29 percent of 20-somethings responded that they have posted malicious comments online. Many reported they did not feel guilty, and 4 in 10 even felt excitement.

Many young people distrust traditional mainstream media. Young people rely on underground media, despite such media’s bias and manipulation.

In underground media, the lines between news and rumors are blurred. According to the Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation, more than 53 percent of Koreans read news online but only 32 percent do so from print.

Despite the mushrooming of online rumors that negatively affect celebrities and citizens alike, the government’s attempts to censor online expressions have so far been futile. For instance, the Lee Myung-bak administration scrapped its real-name system for Internet comments last year, after the online censorship proved to be ineffective and tarnished the image of Korea’s freedom of expression.

Interestingly, although Internet smearing is widespread in Korea, the country is only one of a few where libel entails jail terms. In most countries, plaintiffs in libel suits monetary compensation.

A suicide has a significant effect on the victim’s family members and friends. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a suicide can encourage at least six family members and friends to commit suicide, making them 4.2 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population. The late Cho, his former wife and brother-in-law are an example of this tendency.

Korea’s suicide rate remains the highest in the OECD. Each year, about 15,000 Koreans killed themselves, affecting 100,000 family members. Suicide is a crime that affects the society negatively. Suicides of celebrities, especially, often entail copycat deaths. Like Finland, Korea needs a program to help bereaved family members overcome depression and guilt after the suicide of a loved one. Suicide is no longer an individual problem, and is preventable through social care.

Lee Chang-sup is the executive managing director of The Korea Times. Contact editorial@ktimes.co.kr. <The Korea Times/Lee Chang-sup>