U;Nee – Sorrowful Suicide of a South Korean Singer

U;Nee, born Heo Yoon, (May 3, 1981 – January 21, 2007) was a K-Pop South Korean female singer and actress.

Before changing to music, she used a stage name Lee Hye-Ryeon, which was believed to be her birth name until her death. She committed suicide by hanging herself; she had reportedly been suffering from depression.

Music Career

Apparently, Heo was an easy target because of her showbiz history – she had started at age 15 as a sweet and innocent girl-next-door actress, but disappeared for two years to transform herself into a singing sex goddess.

Heo was the most attacked because it was so evident in her face that she had extensive surgery, as opposed to some artistes who would deny it, she had been very honest and open about having had surgery… but it backfired on her.

Some bloggers were more harsh on her and they hurt her and called her a ‘plastic human being’.

Heo was known for her sexually provocative image throughout her short music career. Early in her singing debut, she attempted to create a sexier appearance through plastic surgery, in order to appeal to a larger fan base

Although successful in achieving a sexy image, the changes were quite drastic in comparison to her previous appearance, and did not contribute to increased album sales. Instead of being known as a talented singer, she became more famous for her unusually large chest, as a result of breast implants.

Due to the declining music industry in Korea, her record label decided that album sales alone was not enough to produce profit, and chose to market her as a sexy singer.Fans of her music decreased while fans of her new sexy look increased, who often urged the singer to reveal herself in Korean edition of Playboy as well as other adult entertainment publications. Heo, who was soft-spoken and reserved in real life, found this difficult to bear.

U;Nee is known as (yuni). Her debut single One, taken from the Passion & Pure sophomore LP, was launched in February 2006. When she released the music video for her single Call Call Call from her second album Passion & Pure last year for example, it was deemed too risque.The result: A ban in Korea. However, the five-minute clip attracted some 100,000 hits within a month when it was posted on fan sites

Suicide

U;Nee died at her home in Seo-gu, Incheon, South Korea on January 21, 2007 after hanging herself. She had suffered from depression, but her family believed that she was healthy after taking anti-depressants. Her mother saw no signs of depression prior to the suicide.

U;Nee’s grandmother, Lee, found U;Nee’s body hanging from a door frame in the 22nd-floor apartment after returning home from a church service. U;Nee’s grandmother was extremely grief stricken during U;Nee’s funeral, particularly during the cremation session where she cried uncontrollably.

It is still unknown why she commited suicide, but her family and friends believe she was suffering from depression and ‘living in agony’ due to the numerous cyber attacks inflicted on her, The Chosun Ilbo reported.

Via Wikipedia, See Cyber Thugs Make Life Hell for Korean Stars for a detailed report

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