From some of the articles I've read, celebrities are treated like prostitutes and forced to have sex with executives and producers. Some also suffer from depression and don't receive help for it. Hopefully now that's it's more in the spotlight, something can be done about it (?)

Regarding the strict cultural standards, I wonder if Korean American youth also have a higher suicide rate than the general American population.

The entertainment agencies are very strict with controlling their celebrities (diet, no dating, etc). The country does not accept homosexuals and mental health is frowned upon as PP said. There's a lot of pressure and I'd expect it to be more challenging for people there than in the USA.

It’s definitely an issue. Mental health issues aren’t treated as well in Korea and it’s hard for millennials and older to be open about their mental health struggles. Gen Z is a little more open. Also some drugs we use to treat ADHD are banned and illegal there. Not sure if that extends also to other mental health drugs like anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds as well. Celebs also have an extremely high standard for behavior and appearance and the general public often has little to no tolerance for f-ups.

Is this an issue more so than other places? I feel like in the US it’s normally drug related. I feel like I’ve seen a number of stories over the past year re: Korean celebrity suicide.