Jo Hyun Jae

Japan starts its Golden Week today — a 5-day weekend (May 1 – 5) when practically the whole of Japan is on vacation.

The Official JHJ Fan Club is also taking time off.  But before that they have mailed members’ birthday cards to Jo Hyun-Jae.  If you are a member of the OFC, your card is on its way to JHJ.

We have it from a reliable source that this year the Korean fan clubs will not be able to celebrate JHJ’s birthday with him at the camp.  (Last year they had a big do, remember? – actually 2!) Possible reasons being:  (1) JHJ is about to be discharged; and (2) nation still in mourning over recent naval disaster.  So, JHJ will not have to eat 2 birthday cakes this year.  But we hope he will be allowed to go home for his birthday.  After all, he has not had any leave since the end of last year. 

(Credit: Photos from http://jo-hyunjae.com. Thanks!)

WARNING!  If you are not in a good mood, do not read this sombre article.  Just take a look at the sunny photos below and smile! 

A recent article in the Korea Times reports that 4 out of every 10 actors in South Korea suffer from depression and have contemplated suicide, according to a degree paper by actress Park Jin-Hee.

About 20 percent have actually purchased toxic agents or “devices” for suicide, she revealed, claiming that the extreme stress to stay attractive and to remain in the limelight drives them to mental instability and leads them to make drastic choices.

For her masters degree paper for Yonsei University, “Studies on Depression and Suicidal Urges Among Actors,” Park, who has played leading roles in numerous movies and TV dramas, interviewed 260 actors last year with incomes ranging from 10 million won-per-episode to less than 1 million won a month.

She found that 40 percent were suffering from depression.

Respondents were quoted as saying, “I am sick of being alive. I want to die” and “I want to commit suicide and have often thought about going through with it.” About 20 percent of them actually bought pills or other harmful devices to kill themselves and another 20 percent said that they have confessed to others about their urges.

Park said most of these symptoms derive from their “unstable status” in life. They thought their employment status was too rocky and that their talents weren’t received well enough by the public and industry insiders.

The gap between the general public’s perception that entertainers “live flamboyant and happy lives” and their actual life being “not so glamorous” also caused them mental anguish.

They were often forced to hide their real characters or feelings from others to remain “likable” and some of them thought “having to stay young and blissful” was self-consuming.

Their stress index marked 53.12 out of 100, which is higher than that of self-employed men at 48.12 and salaried workers, at 48.18.

Park’s report is expected to create a whirlwind in the showbiz world recently reeling from many celebrities committing suicide and the possible copycat syndrome among their fans.

Actresses Lee Eun-Joo, Chung Da-Bin, Choi Jin-Sil, actor Choi Jin-Young and pop singer Yuni are just some of the well-known celebrities who have taken their own lives of late.

After the suicide by the late actress Choi Jin-Sil in October 2008, the number of suicides jumped by 60 percent compared to the previous year, according to Statistics Korea.

“The numbers show that people, who seem to be in the middle of amiability, love and glamour, are some of the most lonesome and troubled,” Park said in the paper.

Well, we thought of editing the above, but in the end decided to post it in full.  The entertainment world (all over the world) is tough and cruel, and only the fittest and strongest survive.  Jo Hyun-Jae is a survivor — for someone who had to start working in his teens to support his family, nothing he has to suffer in the limelight will break him.  Stress and suffering usually leave their marks, but not on JHJ.  He exudes a certain serenity and tranquillity that have a calming and soothing effect on us (on me, anyway.)  Every time something or someone upsets me, one look at any JHJ photo and a smile will light up my face and lighten my heart.

The other evening (April 29) I was trying to find BBC (which has somehow changed channels on its own) when I came upon KBS1′s broadcast of the memorial service for the 46 South Korean sailors killed in the country’s worst naval disaster.  To refresh your memory of this sad event, the Cheonan was on a routine patrol near the border with North Korea on March 26 when an explosion split it in two and it sank.  After the parts were salvaged, a joint military and civilian investigation team gave its initial findings on April 25 that a “close-range external explosion” [read: torpedo] might be the cause of the navy warship’s sinking. 

The South Korean government designated April 29 as national mourning day and a funeral ceremony was held for the victims.  The BBC reports that more than 500,000 people paid their respects to the dead at altars set up throughout South Korea.

At the memorial service I saw photos of the dead — fine young men in their naval uniforms (heartbreaking!) — and news clips of their families who are of course distraught.  There was a children’s choir and also performance by individual singers (“Let’s say goodbye”, “Time to say goodbye”), my favourite being “Hymn to hope”.  It was a very moving and dignified ceremony which reinforces the fact that life is unpredictable and death is certain.  But most important of all — life is precious!  So how can anyone just throw it away?

Of course I care about what happens in this world, any part of the world, but it was only after JHJ entered the army that I paid special attention to Korean military affairs.  Anytime North Korea sneezes, I shiver.  I’m so glad JHJ will be discharged in less than 50 days’ time.  But someone told me Korean soldiers have to remain as reserves for two years after their discharge, i.e. they could be called upon if the country goes to war.  I don’t know if this is true.  Let’s hope there will not be any political fallout from this unfortunate incident.  Let’s pray there will be peace on the Korean peninsula and in the whole world.  Amen.