Woman on dating show found dead

A sign of the reality show hangs at a filming location. / Courtesy of SBS

By Kim Da-ye

A cast member of “Jjak,” a blind-date reality show aired on SBS TV, was found dead early on Wednesday morning where the show is shot on Jeju Island, police said.

The 29-year-old woman identified as Jeon was found hanged around 2:15 a.m. in a bathroom at a bed and breakfast in Seogwipo with the cord of a hairdryer around her neck. She is assumed to have committed suicide after a note was found near her corpse, according to the police.

The note, quoted by local media, read, “I am very sorry to my mom and dad. I don’t want to live anymore because life is too tough.”

The police said that another female cast member hadn’t seen Jeon for a while, so checked her room, to find that the bathroom door was locked. The TV crew opened it forcibly and found her dead.

Shooting of the edition of the show in which Jeon appeared began on Feb. 27. On Wednesday, they were going to tape the last episode in which the cast members choose their final partner.

A group of 10 or more men and women spend around a week in the same location called the “love village.” One group’s soul searching is broadcast over a few episodes.

SBS decided not to broadcast the episodes Jeon appeared in after demands from netizens on Wednesday. Many argued that producers often cause excessive stress to those who appear on the show by only choosing good-looking candidates with superior background. Jeon was regarded as an ordinary office worker.

“Even celebrities come under a great deal of stress when details of their private life are exposed. The cast members of Jjak are just ordinary people. They can be under huge pressure and stress,” said Kim Ju-wan, a netizen, commented on the show’s bulletin board.

The broadcaster said in a statement, “We apologize once again, and we will do our best to prevent similar cases from taking place ever again.”