A lead singer of SHINee, one of South Korea’s top K-pop boybands, died in what appears to be a suicide, according to police reports. Burning coal briquettes, which release carbon monoxide, is a common method of suicide in South Korea, which has one of the world’s highest suicide rates. According to latest reports, a suicide note has been discovered in which the K-pop star bemoaned feeling “broken from inside” and was “engulfed” by depression. The suicide note, released by Kim’s close friend, musician Nain9 on her Instagram account said that he had asked her to publish the message in the event of his death. However, K-pop stars go through cutthroat competition and grueling, years-long training by their agents, who dictate everything from the artists’ music style to diet regimen and even mobile phone usage.

Source: Pakistan Today December 19, 2017 08:04 UTC