Fans bid farewell to late idol
The coffin of late singer Kim Jong-hyun, better known by the stage name Jonghyun, a member of Korean K-pop group SHINee, is carried by group members as an unidentified family member holds a portrait following a funeral service at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, Thursday. The lead singer of popular boy band SHINee committed suicide Monday, police said. /AP-Yonhap
By Kim Se-jeong
The funeral for Kim Jonghyun, the lead singer of popular K-pop group SHINee, took place on Thursday at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, drawing hundreds of fans to the hospital to mourn his death.
The 27-year-old singer committed on Monday. His correspondence with a friend indicated his battle with depression.
A private Christian funeral service was conducted at 8 a.m. in the medical center, attended by his close family members, bandmates and other K-pop idols.
Leeteuk, Eunhyuk and Donghae from Super Junior and SHINee members carried his coffin to a black van which carried it to an undisclosed location where his body was laid to rest.
Fellow K-pop stars including members of Girls Generation were also there, weeping over Kim’s death.
Hundreds of his fans lined up outside the medical center to watch the vehicle leave. Many wept, with some crying on their knees while others took pictures of the van.
Fellow entertainers shared their grief on social media. Actress Kim Seong-ryeong wrote on Facebook, “End of the day! Good job! You made a great time!”
Actress Kong Hyo-jin wrote: “I am sad. I want to help others who are also sad. But grief is contagious. I need to heal myself first. Please help me.”
Born in 1990, Kim debuted in 2008 with SHINee which enjoyed instant success. In 2015, he made his solo debut with the album “Base” and became a star. His last public appearance was Dec. 9 and 10 at concerts in Seoul.
Kim’s death sent shockwaves across Southeast Asia.
The Bangkok Post reported the Thai government is fearing suicide attempts by his Thai fans.
“The Department of Mental Health released a statement Tuesday warning parents to monitor their children’s behavior to see if they have gone through any changes after they learned about the superstar’s death, adding that copycat suicides usually happen to people who have already thought about self-harm,” the news outlet wrote.
In Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, local media outlet Tabloid Bintant reported one SHINee fan attempted suicide after she learned of her idol’s death.
The outlet said the fan who went by the name Devi had suffered the loss of her parents recently and her depression was aggravated further by the news of Kim’s death.
“Should I give up my life for now whence I lost both of my parents and my idol? It’s stressing me out,” she wrote on Twitter.
Later, she tweeted that she failed in a suicide attempt and was recovering in a hospital.