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Former K-pop singer and actress Sulli

Following reports of the death of K-pop singer and actress Sulli on Oct. 14, there was an outpouring of sympathy on social media — along with anger about the hateful comments posted about her online and the behavior of the press. This expression of anger also touched on bigger issues, including misogyny and the presentation of female idols in the media.

The immediate cause that drove Choi Jin-ri (Sulli’s real name) to commit suicide hasn’t been made public. But hardly anyone would dare to declare that society has no responsibility for the drastic choice made by this 25-year-old female entertainer.

Sulli apparently suffered from depression and social phobia. After debuting as a member of the female idol group f(x) in 2009, Sulli remained active until 2014, when she suspended her music career because of online bullying and rumors. After leaving the group the following year, Sulli turned her attention to acting

Recently, Sulli hosted a TV program that dealt with cyberbullying. On the first episode of the program, Sulli said she “used to just wander around the back streets” and “felt like there were cameras everywhere.” It hurts to think how ignorant and apathetic people were about what pain might lie behind Sulli’s unwavering nonchalance.

Sulli’s harassment online was well-known. Perhaps anonymous cyberbullies think little of their slings and arrows, but for their targets, each of those comments is an act of violence that chips away at their identity. According to police statistics, there were 15,926 incidents of cyber defamation and slander in 2018 that could be regarded as cyberbullying, representing about a 20% increase from the previous year. And that’s just the incidents that were reported, suggesting that the reality is far worse.

Considering that entertainers depend on their popularity, there’s little they can do to fight back. Perhaps it’s time to talk about taking drastic measures against cyberbullying, which persists despite a string of similar tragedies in the entertainment world. Such behavior isn’t free speech or something that consumers get to lord over stars — it’s a crime.

But this isn’t just about a few cyberbullies: Korean society as a whole needs to reconsider how it treats female idols. There’s long been a tendency to condone outspoken men as just expressing their convictions while slamming female idols for being “attention whores” when they do the same thing. It’s undeniable that this is closely connected to popular culture’s tendency to treat young female entertainers as “adorable dolls” or “sex objects.”

In that regard, Sulli was a unique creature. When she was attacked for photos showing her in a T-shirt, apparently without a bra underneath, she boldly said, “That’s up to the individual. For me, that’s an accessory I have the option of wearing or not.” Sulli was a woman who wanted to live freely, without worrying about how others saw her. We hope she finds that freedom in the next life.

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]