In a heartbreaking Instagram livestream from a hotel room in Japan, K-pop star Goo Hara appeared visibly exhausted and drained. With her face free of makeup, she read questions from fans around the world in a fading voice. One fan asked, “You going to work, fighting?” to which she replied in halting English, “My life is always so fighting.”
This emotional moment in November 2019 was a stark contrast to the international fame she had achieved as a member of the popular K-pop group Kara. Goo Hara had faced a lifetime of struggles, including being abandoned by her parents as a child and dealing with a tumultuous legal battle with an ex-boyfriend. The constant scrutiny and criticism from the public, along with the pressures of being a solo artist after Kara disbanded, took a toll on her mental health.
Tragically, less than a week after the livestream, Goo Hara was found dead in her home in Seoul at the age of 28. Her death, along with several other suicides among young Korean entertainers in recent years, has shed light on the darker side of South Korea’s entertainment industry. The intense demands placed on performers in the high-pressure world of K-pop, coupled with societal pressures and the harsh reality of online harassment, have raised concerns about the mental well-being of these young stars.
Goo Hara’s struggles from a young age, including being isolated from her family and facing pressure to succeed in the cutthroat K-pop industry, highlight the challenges that many young entertainers face. Her story serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of mental health support and the need for greater awareness of the pressures faced by those in the limelight.
As South Korea’s entertainment industry grapples with the tragic loss of talented young artists, there is a growing recognition of the need for mental health resources and support for those who are struggling. The recent initiatives by agencies like Hybe to provide mental health breaks and establish in-house psychiatric clinics are steps in the right direction, but more needs to be done to address the underlying issues that contribute to the mental health struggles of young performers like Goo Hara.