This is a fascinating documentary that I would suggest to literally everyone. Many of us think about North Korea and only see a tiny country that has “big talk” or sees North Korea as a scary country with, potentially, fatal power. However true or untrue those opinions may be, we often forget about the people that are trapped inside. This is an insightful documentary and only takes up a little over 30 minutes of your time. Please watch and stay informed.
Recent news broke that the father and grandparents of Leeteuk (aka 박정수) have passed away. Many people know of Leeteuk through Super Junior, a South Korean boy group. At first the death of his family was reported to be caused by a car accident by Allkpop [http://www.allkpop.com/article/2014/01/breaking-super-junior-leeteuks-father-and-grandparents-passed-away-due-to-a-car-accident#axzz2pqPhLPmR]. However, further investigation proved that to be false and the case is now suspected as a murder-suicide. For people that are new to South Korean entertainment, this may come as a shock. However, suicide in South Korea is not an uncommon occurrence. South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Self-inflicted deaths are most common among teenagers, the elderly, and people in the entertainment business. (Of course, suicide can happen to others that do not fit into those categories.) Factors such as school, depression, and being overworked contribute to the high suicide rates. I will not discuss my personal opinions on the matter in this particular post; however, I wanted to give everyone whom were extremely surprised at the passing of Leeteuk’s family a short post with some facts that I have learned over the years. With that said, just because it is common does not mean that it is not a tragic loss. I, along with many others, give my condolences to Leeteuk and his family. Suicide should not be something that people feel they must resort to and families, as well as friends, should not have to experience the pain that comes with losing a loved one due to self-harm. There is hope. Stay safe and positive, everyone.
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