Umm . . . I’m speechless. I have not been impacted by the death of a celebrity like this in a very long time. Maybe the last time was when Biggie died. The photo here is of . . . I guess . . . her swan song appearance. She was making a comeback after years of obscurity. She was THE actress of the 80s and 90s in Korea. She was often referred to as the Meg Ryan of Korea. I think the impact would be totally the same if you had heard that Meg Ryan had committed suicide.
She was wholesome. She was endearing. She was never flashy. She was elegant. She will be remembered as THE most-loved Korean actress throughout history. She was Korea’s princess a la Princess Di.
The rumor right now, though, is that she killed herself because she was overridden with guilt over causing a close friend to commit suicide. She had apparently lent him $2.5M dollars and he could not pay it back due to a failed business venture. I don’t buy that this is the sole reason. Take everything the Korean media spits out with a grain of salt.
As Koreans, we live in what is called an honor-shame society. I wish I could explain it, but a working definition would be that if one does something shameful, they will be ostracized by everyone in society. In Korea, it’s all about reputation. Even if weren’t true, if there were even a remote possibility that her loan contributed to his depression and suicide, her career would have been over.
The Pastor’s Perspective: There is a greater debt than $2.5M that each of us owes to our Creator. Yet, through his death, Jesus paid the price and cleared our debt. We have been set free. If we understood this . . . there would be much less depression and suicide in the world.
I have two kids like Choi Jin Shil does. No matter how hard life is, I can watch them as they sleep peacefully and beautifully, and find so much joy and reason to live. I believe that God has an even greater Father’s love for each and every one of us. He will carry us through everything.
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