In early December, the 27-year-old actor and k-pop artist Cha In-ha were found dead in his home. At the end of November, 28-year-old Goo Hara, a former member of the k-pop band Kara, was found dead and in October another star was found dead: 25-year-old Sulli, a former member of the band f (x), something the Cultural News has previously reported.

The causes of death are yet to be determined. It has been known since before that Goo Hara has tried to take her life, and she has stated that she has been exposed to threats and attacks on social media. Sulli has also been open about his mental ill health and talked about internet bullying.

"The problem lies in Korean society"

The deaths have shed light on the pressure that many young celebrities in Korea are exposed to.

- The underlying problem is found in Korean society. There is a huge social pressure: it is about appearance, money, you have to go to the finest schools. The press gets bigger for the k-pop idols because they have to be role models and have to do everything right. As a k-pop star, you are more likely to be known, says Julyssa Diaz, k-pop expert and manager of k-pop.

Korean pop, or k-pop as the music genre is called, is one of South Korea's foremost cultural exports and a billionaire industry. The genre developed during the late 1990s and spread especially in Asia. With the help of k-pop idols early on using social media to reach out, the genre in the 2010s also became big outside Asia.

"Costs a lot of money"

According to Julyssa Diaz, the recipe for success consists, among other things, that the k-pop idols and their music are part of a larger, very well thought-out concept, a product to be sold. Everything starts with what is called the idol schools.

- They start their journey as a trainee for a company where they practice everything from song, dance and choreography to styling and media training. The companies keep track of if and when they are ready for debut. To reach the top in k-pop requires an incredible amount of money and therefore it takes time before companies dare to invest. This can last up to ten years. They are teased hard, there is a lot of uncertainty, worry and stress.

One of the most important pillars of k-pop is what is called "fan service", which means that the artists offer something extra: release videos, go live on Instagram and talk to fans. They should be accessible to the fans, and preferably they should be singles.

- Idols are expected to uphold these ideals and when they do not, for example, if they stay with someone, the image is destroyed and suddenly they are not worth anything. Sulli was a special case when she was open that she wanted to live by her own rules and was very attacked for it online. It was just negative comments, it was like she was the number one enemy of society.

- At the same time, whether and if so why they killed themselves or not we can not know, says Julyssa Diaz.