Singer Goo Hara’s Death Shines Light on the Dark Side of K-Pop

Sulli’s death highlighted the huge pressures on K-pop stars, partly exerted by demanding fans, and the lack of mental health support in a country with the highest suicide rate among rich nations. Both women had their private lives intensely examined in public and were the subject of hateful online comments, in an industry where female K-pop singers are not supposed to date or even live real lives but instead conform to rigid norms.