Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Teenager kills herself in Malaysia after Instagram followers vote for death
Malaysian police are investigating the death of a girl after she asked her Instagram followers to vote on whether she should live or die. Reuters
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
A teenage girl has killed herself in Malaysia after her Instagram followers voted for death in a poll she posted to ask them whether she should live or die.
The girl, 16, whose identity is unknown, had
run a poll on the photo-sharing app with the question, “Really Important, Help Me Choose D/L (Death/Life),” before jumping off the top of a building in the east Malaysian state of Sarawak on Monday (local time).
A total of 69 percent of those took part in the poll chose “D.” It is unclear whether the result affected her suicide decision.
Malaysian police are investigating the case, including whether those who voted for her to die should be held accountable for abetting suicide.
Under Malaysian law, a person found guilty of abetting the suicide of a minor could face the death penalty or up to 20 years in prison.
Padawan district police deputy chief DSP Merbin Lisa said investigators found that the girl had suffered depression.
“According to her mother, the victim was close to her stepfather but since the stepfather married a Vietnamese woman, he rarely returned to Kuching to meet the victim,” Lisa
. “It caused the victim to feel sad.”
On Tuesday, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission issued a statement advising social media users to be more attentive and sensitive to suicidal postings. It urged them to report such messages to their family, friends and police.
In February, Instagram said it would adopt a “sensitivity screens” system to block images of self-harm. The decision came after the death of a British teenager, 14, whose parents believed that viewing such images on Instagram contributed to her suicide in 2017.