Is modern life hell? The death of the K-pop star Moonbin sheds light on the pressures young people face in South Korea.
K-pop tragedies expose obsession with success
Is modern life hell? The death of the K-pop star Moonbin sheds light on the pressures young people face in South Korea.
What's happening?
Moonbin was a member of the K-popShort for Korean pop. Pop music originating from South Korea. boy band Astro. Last month, he died aged 25. The police think that he took his own life.
Several other k-pop stars have died by suicide in recent years.
K-pop stars are under a lot of pressure. They often start training at a very young age, and work very hard to be successful.
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Some point out that this is part of a wider story in South Korea. There is very strong competition in South Korean schools and universities. Around 85% of five-year-olds are sent to extra lessons after school so they can get ahead of their classmates.
A survey of 70 countries found that South Korea had the unhappiest schoolchildren. Between 2017 and 2021, cases of depressionLow mood that affects someone's daily life, and can last for weeks or months. rose by 90% among the country's teenagers. Many teenagers speak about loneliness and the pressure to succeed.
South Korea is an extremeVery great, or beyond what is expected. example. But many point out that teenagers around the world face similar issues.
Is modern life hell?
Yes! We live in a world in which being successful at school and work is often put above happiness.
No! In most countries, children are not put under the same amount of pressure. And we are much better at talking about mental health than we were 10 or 20 years ago.
Keywords
K-pop - Short for Korean pop. Pop music originating from South Korea.
Depression - Low mood that affects someone's daily life, and can last for weeks or months.
Extreme - Very great, or beyond what is expected.
K-pop tragedies expose obsession with success
Glossary
K-pop - Short for Korean pop. Pop music originating from South Korea.
Depression - Low mood that affects someone's daily life, and can last for weeks or months.
Extreme - Very great, or beyond what is expected.