On December 18th, it was released that SHINee's Kim Jong-hyun committed suicide at a residential hotel in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul. Right before his death, Jonghyun sent his sister messages saying goodbye, which then led her to call the police. The 27-year-old accomplished a lot in the entertainment industry. He started training in 2005 and finally debuted with SHINee in 2008 under S.M Entertainment. Doing more than just performing with the group and solo projects, Jonghyun wrote songs for other artists and was even a host of a radio show called "JonHyuns Blue Night," but left the show due to commitments to SM entertainment. He was loved by all and always tried hard to make everyone proud of him.
But Jonghyun always struggled with depression. It was something he was very public about. He told reporters that he had "showed a lot of depressive feelings." In his suicide note, he addressed that depression had "completely swallowed" him.
This news came as a huge shock to everyone, especially in South Korea where depression is not seen as an important issue. South Korea has the highest suicide rate and those who stay in a hospital aren't there for a long time. It's time depression and suicide are addressed more globally. There have been a bunch of petitions going around calling for KPOP industries to include mental health screenings/assistance in their idols contracts so that people like Jonghyun don't have depression consume them and that they get the help that they need. We've seen the death of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, and actor/comedian Robin Williams. Both took their own lives due to depression. Sometimes the people who make us smile and laugh the most are the ones that are hurting the most.
It is critically important that we take depression seriously and try not to see it as a way of gaining attention or just throw it to the side. As a person who has anxiety, depression sometimes creeps up and tries to consume me. It's not easy and that's what some people fail to understand. You can't just tell someone to be happy or to cheer up, that won't help anything at all. It won't make the pain or the thoughts going away.
With that being said, if you are going through depression or anxiety or any other mental illness, you are not alone. There are many resources you can contact. You could talk to anyone who cares about you and loves you, whether it be family, friends, mentors, etc.
The number to the suicide prevention hotline will be provided in this article as well as other websites that can help.
There's nothing that will bring Jonghyun back, but we can remember his life by showing support for Jonghyun and trying to beat depression and suicide.
1-800-273-8255 - Suicide Prevention Hotline
