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Choi Jin-shil’s brother Choi Jin-young commits suicide

OH NO.

Only a year and a half after his older sister committed suicide, now actor-singer Choi Jin-young has been discovered dead after taking his own life on the morning of March 29.

Choi Jin-young’s body is currently in the funeral hall of a Kangnam hospital in Seoul. A rep from his side said on the afternoon of the 29th, “We heard the sudden sad news from his family. We heard that he has passed away, but we were not told the details. We are stricken with grief.”

Much-beloved actress Choi Jin-shil‘s death rocked the industry when she committed suicide after battling depression in October 2008. Her mental anguish was aggravated by the constant malicious harassment of a netizen who accused Choi of contributing to the suicide of her friend, fellow actor Ahn Jae-hwan, just a month prior. Those two deaths were the first in a series of celebrity suicides that followed (many of those celebrities were said to be battling depression as well).

After her death, an ugly custody battle unfolded between her family (Jin-young and their mother) and her ex-husband, former baseball player (and deadbeat dad and abusive husband) Jo Sung-min, who eventually relinquished his claim after massive public outcry. Her two children were being raised by Jin-young and their grandmother, and Jin-young had taken on a fatherly role to them. He was even planning on making an acting comeback — he announced plans to return to television just earlier this month. He had announced, “I’ve got to earn a living and start acting again for the sake of my niece and nephew. I’ll have to show them in person what kind of work their uncle does.”

Choi Jin-young battled depression of his own, and sank into a prolonged spell following his sister’s death. It is believed that he died by hanging; his mother discovered his body at home and police were called on Monday afternoon. Choi was 39.

Below, he is pictured with his sister’s two children.

Via DongA, Star News, Asia Economy

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this is just so heartbreaking. i can't imagine the mother's grief.

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And didn't the grandmother have to go through the additional hell
of having her daughter's cremated ashes stolen from the cemetary
for a brief time, before the police found the guy who did it?

Does this family have anybody else to help the poor heart-broken
grandmother raise these children....as the years march onward?
Or will the so-called "father" think that this is a good time to strike?

May God give those children and their grandmother the strength
that they'll need.

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Oh, my God, so much suffering for children and their mother, as she could do something so cowardly.
I'm sorry

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I have to say this about the comments that suicide is cowardly and wrong. I KNOW that almost all religions frown upon suicide, and as a Christian I know it's wrong. However there is nothing cowardly about it. It's seen as taking the easy way out, but can you imagine being in such a situation where taking your own life is the only thing you can think of. You have to fight your body's natural instinct for survival; it takes so much will power to actually do the deed. It's one thing to think of suicide, and I'm sure many people have thought of it at one point in time, but to actually take your own life, I think is one of the hardest things to do. Especially in this case of hanging, you have to fight your body's natural desire to breath.

All in all, for those who wish to banter suicide, the family right now needs your support not your put downs.

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I wish the best for that family. Like you guys said, I feel awful for the mother. But even more so for those children. I hope they are getting some really good grief counseling. My heart goes out to their family.

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omg, I can't really believe this tragic news

His family (specially the parents) must be very heart broken loosing both of there children.

My deepest condolences to the family.

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Gosh, it's really sad. How can this be?! How can an old lady, his mom and the grandmother of his niece and nephew take in the grief - not just losing one daughter but now her son too! How is she going to take care of the two young children now that the son - the man and breadwinner - has left her to fend for themselves?! This is really devastating!

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My heart is so heavy for the children. So many hardships they have to face at such a young age, it's not fair. The grandmother....I hope she has a lot of support and I hope she has people watching her because the last thing these kids need is to lose their grandmother too.

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omg the pain of losing their mother and now their uncle too, the kids went through so much and they are so young in age. i hope the grandma can be strong and the kids can be strong through all of this.

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do they not look at other motives? maybe the ex-husband or other nasty business partners?

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This is so upsetting. That poor, poor family.

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I'm saddened by this latest news...oh he was one of my favorite Korean singers...i have goosebumps reading this first from one of Korean newspapers online & i cldn't believe it....oh my gosh...why wld he want to be gone from this world? He's got such a beautiful voice i loved him singing the OSTs of so many Kdramas such as Did We Really Love...he sung with feeling!

My deepest sympathy to his family and his nephew & niece from Choi jin sil. I miss him already! I always play his songs...luvd his voice so much! May he rest in peace!

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1st : stupid producers in the acting industry should give him a job
2nd : grandma found out the sucide,more painful than ever
3rd : children found out their beloved uncle passed away
4th : less helper to keep the family together (as in fiancially)
5th : hanging at home,like her sister,cant imagine the pain they have to go through with that image imprinted on their mind
6th : their children growing out without having any uncle parents only their grandma,consider them like in fairytale
7th : yes,another funeral to attend,another sorrow to breed and another trouble to arrive(stealing of urn again?how can these people do such a thing!)
8th : their house,once lovely and warm now seems like a sucide place
9th : pls pls pls their grandmother hold on together,dont go on sucide again(my heart really go out to them)
10th : friends cant be trusted (see the actress ?)
11th : these time,no matter what counselling it is or what the society can do is only stay and watch,no matter how hard we try to hold our emotions,tradegies still happens everyday.Looking at those photographs,it makes me laugh but now how sad the uncle has gone.Their mother and now their uncle,and to their grandmother(a son and daughter have died before her).How sad can it be ?I'm cruel to say those things above but i didn't want any of these to happen to them ever AGAIN.I hope that 2 children grow out to be smart adults married with kids happy with life.Their grandmother,really sad,she's old and still have to raise 2 kids all by her own finacially she cant work as before,and physically she's not as strong and mentally she's been stabbed too many times.Dramatic ending for an actress and actor,a tearful sorrow for both young innocent kids and a new beginning for their grandmother to move on.As tragic as it can be,life moves on.My heart goes out to them not as a fan,but a believer.

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Judging from the photos you shared here, he seems to love his sister's two children, i'm sure they're devastated! He was still young & could have made a comeback in acting if he wanted to. I'll miss you Choi jin young! My condolences again to his family!

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i last saw him in We Got Married & i enjoyed seeing him there. i can't get over this, i love this actor/singer!
my heart is so heavy yet i'm not even related to him what more for his mother & choi jin sil's children who must have adored their uncle!

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I only wish the Choi family happiness from now on!

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Oh my...2 tragedies in 1 family in such a short period of time... my heart goes out to the family who was left behind... I can totally understand how painful it must be for their mom, having to bury 2 children...praying that she will have strength and good health to be able to cope with the loss as well as raise her grandchildren.

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That poor family is in my prayers !!!!!

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@poo I hope to see your comment gone soon. Your's and others are highly disrepectful to another family's tragedy.

Lordy, to have the mother find him, and the sheer factor he died the same way as his sister. The idea is just scary and terrifying. I can't imagine what it must be like for the family. May Deity watch over the children and their grandmother during this time of sorrow. Hopefully they will find heaps of support during this time in unexpected amounts for now and the future.

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Sad news, very sad.... Condolences to the family :(....

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This is heartbreaking. And looking at those pictures of happier days makes the sad news even more so. May the grandma and two kids have the strength and hope to overcome this tragedy.

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If you're gonna cause your mother even more heartbreak, don't do it so she can see your dead body hanging about AGAIN. Sick of this. Ok, he's depressed but die somewhere your loved ones don't have to discover you.

My thoughts go to the poor mother and children

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@ #4 Ibeova - Please do not be rude about this subject matter and refer to Choi Jin-young as "cowardly". You do not know what state of mind he or anyone else who commits suicide is in. Obviously he was feeling a lot of pain, pain that he felt he couldn't live with or get rid of, pain that drove him to the only solution of ending his own life. Regardless of what your belief is, please just focus wishing the family well and hoping that Choi Jin-young is in a better place now versus saying negative things about him.

Thank you.

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My tears were flowing as I was reading the news. Things have just gone from bad to worse...I'll be praying for the family. hik*hik*hik

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My heart goes out to their family. This is truly heart-breaking and words cannot express my utter shock and disbelief at this news.

I truly hope the Korean entertainment industry can create a community and an outlet for those who are battling depression. I'm not really sure on how they're dealing with this but the past few years have been utterly tragic with all of these celebrity deaths.

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Oh, the poor children! How can they not feel that their mother and uncle's death has something to do with them? Imagine the emotional and psychological trauma this is going to cause. Poor family. *sigh*

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RIP Choi Jin-young.

Seeing those family pictures of the very young children with their now late uncle is all the more heartbreaking.

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Korea needs to do more than say how sad! and move on. With the next to highest
suicide rate in the world are the citizens there trying to find out why whatever the
medical profession is doing is not enough? Awareness and some agitation are called for or it will not change.

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What is striking about suicides in Korea is that a generation ago, the suicide rate in Korea was about the same as the United States and fairly level and steady at about 10 people per 100,000.

The rate went from 10 people per 100,000 in 1995, to nearly 25 people per 100,000 in 2005 - a jump of 150% over a decade.

So what happened in Korea during this 1995 to 2005?

Well, for one thing, mass broadband internet.

In 1995, less than 1% of Koreans even used the internet.

In 1996, the Korean public utility known as Kepco was allowed to sell / lease 90 percent of fiber-optic capacity (i.e., broadband internet) to whoever wanted it, and this pretty much brought up universal broadband internet to Koreans.

By 2004, broadband internet penetration in Korea reached 71%, highest of all OECD countries, and by 2005, that number reached 80%.

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The spread of broadband throughout korea has allowed everyone to have a voice, whether that voice is good or bad, civil or nasty, thoughtful or thoughtless. And it happened so quickly, so rapidly, that the consequences of such an immediate cultural phenomenon could not have been foreseen.

Nobody could have predicted the kind of pressure that would be put onto individuals who were already in the spotlight (like actors, actresses and sports figures), when broadband internet would make their lives as transparent as a fish bowl, but magnified and brought into every Korean's home, to be debated and criticized for entertainment purposes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Whereas before, media sources could be controlled and information release could be handled in a serial manner. If there was a potential scandal brewing, then a talent manager could merely call together a few newspaper reporters to handle the situation. Now, every Korean with a cell phone is a reporter, is an investigator, and every Korean can act like the judge and jury with every piece of news that flows through the internet. All with no restrictions or regulations at all (until recently, that is).

But its more than just celebrities, obviously.

While the internet has brought everyone closer together, it has also isolated people as well.

People who used to talk and interact with neighbors, friends and family would find themselves locked in their rooms for hours and hours at a time, sometimes days, even without food or sleep, just to continue being online for whatever reason. And while those are extreme cases, the bottom line is that the interent as a proxy (substitute) for human relationships can have serious negative side effects.

And I'm not just talking about how the internet might lead to how people can become isolated (or more isolated), but those that substitute the internet for real relationships with other people run another risk - if they are developing a mental illness that may lead to depression or worse, then interacting with other people may lead to early diagnostics and identification, which is probably a magnitude more difficult to do while online.

To put it simply, the impact of nearly instantaneous change of an entire culture overnight through universal broadband internet is something that really needs to be focused on, because nobody could have foreseen how quickly, how universally, and how deeply Koreans would be affected by this.

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Oh no!! I feel so heartbroken for them. I feel so worried for the kids now though, they looked so happy with their uncle. Who's going to help take of them now with the grandma? I really hope the dad doesn't look after them, he doesn't sound like a good father figure AT ALL.

AHH, I feel so bad for the children and their grandmother. </3

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that sad. R.I.P

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Such sad news and so hard for those left behind.

Depression is a disease that can be treated. I wonder if there's shame or stigma attached to being mentally depressed or emotionally unstable? Both of these conditions should NOT be left for the individual to suffer in silence, with the end result that they will end their own lives because can't see any other options.

Help the future generation and those kids that may be predisposed to being suicidally depressed and don't know how to ask for help!!

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oh. my. goodness.

honestly i had hoped we'd have a new year with no korean celeb deaths - we just had so many happy news about weddings!!!

i really feel bad for the children - their mother and father/father figures are gone now. i also hope that jo sung min is not going to try to claim the kids for himself, although i do wish he'll take a more active role in their lives with the grandmother still in charge. i feel so so so bad for the kids - to lose loved ones in less than two years can emotionally scar them.

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As everyone has said, this is sad and terrible news, especially for their mother and those two children.

Thanks, Samsooki, for those thoughtful comments on internet use and misuse... I had no idea how quickly internet access had expanded in Korea, although I did know the country has one of the world's highest rates of usage/coverage.

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I pray the children and remaining family members will have the support needed to get through this tough tragedy. So sad and unfortunate for everyone involved. RIP.

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that's sad :( the mother had to see another child of hers hanging themselves again. i can't imagine the pain she's going through right now...and the children. my god...what's happening over there..my heart goes out to them. praying for the people related to be strong.

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people everywhere just have to start learning and practising this:
to each their own.

the holier-than-thous and do-gooders in the world ... may they learn to keep their mouths shut.

even depression doesn't just come out of nowhere. it may be in the genes (ie one may be predisposed), but the environment, people, stressors etc - they all contribute their share in triggering the onset.

RIP. my heart goes out to the poor, poor kids (how can they ever feel secure?) and their grandma. please let them have the strength (and support) to get through their pain, and stay grounded.

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25 kdrama'd
sorry if they feel offended anyone, I did not say it for him, only for the attitude

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this is so sad..when i saw the title of this post..my heart sank..my prayer goes out to the family...

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This isn't happening! I can't even begin to imagine how their mother feels right now. I just wanna go to a dark corner and cry right now.

I hope she's going to be fine. Please be strong for the children.

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I just saw an interview of him with his sister's kids last month. He seems very happy with them, so this news is just shocking. What will happen to the kids? The father of the children will have custody of them now, since I doubt their grandmother can take care of them on her own.

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Rest in paradise.

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the curse of the choi family? goodness... now where are the kids going to? pity the old woman who has to witness the death of her own 2 kids.

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this is really sad.. may he rest in peace...

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whhhhhaaaatttttttt???? nooo not again@@ choi jin shil's death was terrible to the punishment given to that %#$$@ netizen wasnt fair at all.. n now him nooooo!!! T.T i hope he rests in peace

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Whoahhh... shocker.
I felt for the mother and the children. I'm battling a huge depressing situation right now, I too often think that I want to just die. but then I guess, I love my parents way too much to put them in such misery and my child (Hell no, who's gonna take care of the kid? ). and this mother and children have to face it twice.
poor kids, does it mean now they have to go back to their father? what's the point of taking the custody if you're ended up died? Oh...

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I am shocked. The outrageously high rate of suicide in Korea must end. I cannot begin to fathom what the children must be going through with another tragic death of their loved one. My heart goes out to them. RIP, Choi Jin Young. He is now at peace with his sister.

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I understand where the commenters are coming from when they say that suicide is a cowardly act. If it is not cowardly, it is certainly selfish. The magnitude of the trauma the kids and the grandmother are experiencing is beyond anyone's comprehension. These kids will forever carry with them guilt over these deaths. They will feel that they caused their mother to kill herself -- especially because of the custody battle. And then after they move in with the uncle, the uncle kills himself? These kids are going to need serious therapy to realize that they are not to blame.

I hope that Korea has a strong child protective services or at least a federal body that will oversee the kids' mental health. I hope that there is strong community support, with people coming together to help with the day-to-day stuff as well as with long-term goals to stabilize the family. My sense is that with rapid industrialization, urbanization, and breakdown in traditional support structures (family, neighbors, schools), there is just no social safety net there anymore.

My heart goes out to the victims of depression (the mother and uncle), but it is hard to not to feel anger toward them for burdening the kids with this.

All in all, very sad.

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Rest in Peace...and may the family find solace and comfort with each other,and may their pain be lessened with time...
My deepest condolences to the Choi's family...

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OH NO! My prayers go to their family!!!

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