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Death of K-pop star Goo Hara stirs bullying debate

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These things seem to be happening with frightening regularity.

People can be especially cruel with the anonymity of the internet, and yes, those printed words even anonymously can cut just as deep as being verbally bullied in person.

RIP beautiful one.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Still trying to come to terms with Sulli's passing last month, and now Hara has also passed :(

KARA were one of the first Korean groups that I got into (They sold millions of albums in Japan) and Hara was always exceptional to watch. She always came across as someone who was funny and kind hearted.

And even though many might think this is just another suicide caused by the pressure of being in the Korean entertainment industry. What happened to Hara is bigger than that.

She was cyberbullied relentlessly (even after her 1st suicide attempt earlier in the year, and also after Sulli's death).

And not only that but she was also involved in a psychological and physically abusive relationship with a non celebrity who illegally filmed a sex tape without her permission and later on threatened to blackmail her with it (to ruin her life). That was last year and it lead to a physical confrontation between them both after he forced entry into her home which resulted in Hara receiving hemorrhages to her vagina and uterus due to a violent assault that he inflicted on her.

As this all begun to go public he tried deceiving the public and press who whipped up a hate campaign against her. (He tried suing her for scratches to his face) And the tide only turned once evidence started coming out that he was emotionally and physically abusing her and that everything that he testified was false.

But even after that, Hara was still being publicly scorned even though she was a victim of sexual abuse, and earlier this summer the Korean justice system failed her, when her ex partner received a paltry sentence of 18 months suspended for 3 years......

He was allowed to continue his life without a care in the world, whilst Hara was left to pick up her reputation in a society which treats women harshly. And I feel that the final event that tipped her over the edge was the suicide of one of her bestfriends, Sulli, last month. :(

I just wanted to get all that out, incase anyone did think that she was simply unable to cope with fame. Because what happened to Hara goes beyond that. She was a victim of a society that reacts harshly to women who are the victims of sexual abuse.

31 ( +31 / -0 )

KariHaruka,

Thanks for the information. Its a terrible situation.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

I cannot imagine the pressure of living one's under the microscope of public scrutiny. Mental health issues such as depression are only compounded when others enjoy your problems. Very tragic that she appears to have taken her own life.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

The music industry in Asian is considered a harem for rich and powerful men. What makes things worst is that they tend to receive almost no support when they speak out about things like this. They drown their sorrows in alcohol and drugs and many go down the road of taking their own lives.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

How is this allowed to happen. A beautiful wealthy vibrant sassy young woman dead. One would think that after a previous suicide attempt she would have had constant support and help. Perhaps there is a darker story story to her death. Either way is is a tragic ending. RIP

8 ( +8 / -0 )

She was a victim of a society that reacts harshly to women who are the victims of sexual abuse.

Very important that the bullies, who make life so difficult for women, are stopped.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

People who engage in revenge porn ought to be barred from having subsequent romantic relations with another human being. Perhaps a warning tattoo on the forehead would effectively do the trick.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

The very dark underbelly of cutesy Asian pop idol groups rears its ugly head again.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

This is so sad... Didn't another young person also commit suicide a month or two ago?

This is so heartbreaking in more ways than one. I didn't follow her, or the K-industry in general, but young people, with an entire life ahead of them, shouldn't for any reason die, especially at the peak of their lives. May you rest in piece.

@ KariHaruka

Thank you for this comment, one of the better and more useful ones I've seen on here. It's so horrible, the fact that we live in a modern, fully connected world, that allows us to learn about others, meet others, learn about parts and places of the world we won't ever go to. Yet we use this technology to cause harm to others, bring them down psychologically to the point of making them take their lives. This has to change. Korean, Japanese, French or American, it doesn't matter.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

You got fame and money, people are not gonna feel sorry for you, when your problems are nothing compared to people with real problem,i do not know what this woman struggle were, but suicide is not the answer, people that are dying and know they will die find some reason to fight death and if you are struggling too, find something to live for

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

@Yrral

Hara was the victim of a psychological and physically abusive relationship that involved sexual & physical assaults and revenge porn. I'd say that that is a very real problem.

If you were a victim of sexual assault and you were being condemned and shunned by society as a result of being a victim, whilst the scumbag that did it was allowed to move on with his life trouble free, how would you feel?

She tried fighting and she tried finding a reason to live. But sadly the depression got too much for her. It's not something that you can easily judge unless you've been in a similar situation. Which if you were, you would be more understanding towards mental health and just how much it can impact your everyday life.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

how very tragic rest in peace young lady

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Another one bites the dust.

Tragic.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Stress some can handle. Depression is a different story - this is not just having a bad day but a very serious psychological phenomenon. If you suspect anyone you know suffers depression, do not leave their side until you arrange for help.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I remembered going to Korea around the time KARA was getting big in Japan. It didn't seem that people there were proud of their overseas success but were nitpicking other things about them. At that time, people were up in arms about 1 or 2 of them getting into high level universities due to their wealth and fame. Years later, people were having a cow because KARA refused to chime in their opinion about the Takeshima/Dokdo conflict. KARA loved their fans in both countries and didn't want to take sides.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Some Japanese companies that still adhered to the extreme, old school thinking in job culture, overworked some of their workers to death

While some in the South Korea entertainment industry did the same (albeit in a different field) to their talent. Dark year indeed for the SK entertainment.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@KariHaruka

Thanks for the info. Damn, that is outright scary. It's no longer a matter of musical industry, but it's all about how laws should be changed and applied to protect people from all kinds of abuse. No one can carry on any longer with such levels of toxicity towards singers and idols.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I quit all social media websites years ago and my life had a spike in quality since then...

Unfortunately this was part of her job (exposing herself) and the target audience, teenagers, are absolute emotional terrorists. This is the very reason I dislike J-pop, K-pop, American Pop, whatever. Music is not about exposing yourself as a product to the public, young and naive girls like this one unfortunately fall to this trap universe and the consequences are many, they often enter an spiral of insanity with no turning back.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

the police can and should open up her computer, they can retrace all of her emails ref cyberbullying, they can extract IP dresses and possibly prosecute the offenders.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

R.I.P Goo

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I am very sad to hear the news. When I was elementary school student, I love her music group, KARA. My friends and I were dancing and singing their songs everyday. I know she tried to commit suicide and her and her ex boyfriend had trouble. I think she cannot endure everything herself , also, I hope she become happy in the heaven.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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