Sulli: The woman who rebelled against the K-pop world

By Noelle Chin Jee Wei

Choi Jin-ri, Sulli | Source: BBC News

19 AUGUST 2020 - K-POP singer Choi Jin-ri, Sulli was a rebel in an industry that rewards performers for their off-stage silence.

She came to prominence as an actress-singer after becoming a member of a girl band f(x). Sulli was also well-known for speaking on topics such as mental health, cyberbullying and the rights of women - issues that remain sensitive in South Korea. Unfortunately, she died on October 14, 2019 at her own house.

From Trainee to a K-pop Star

Sulli entered the Korean entertainment industry back in 2005, when she was just 11-year-old. She proceeded to try out for SM Entertainment, which is Korea’s biggest entertainment company, and was accepted as a trainee under the entertainment company.

She made her K-pop girl group f(x) debut in 2009. The debut album of the then five-member group topped the Korean charts and became one of the largest groups of K-pop girls. They were also one of the first globally recognized K-pop artists, featuring at US celebration South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2013.

Sulli took a break from the entertainment industry a year later, with SM Entertainment claiming she was "suffering physically and mentally from malicious and untrue rumors spreading about her".

She formally left f(x) in 2015 and chose to concentrate more on acting. However, she returned to singing in 2018, releasing a solo debut single titled “Goblin”, in which she played a dissociative identity disorder character, formerly known as multiple personality disorder.

Sulli was also on a program known as “The Night of Hate Messages”, which involved celebrities talking about their encounters of hate comments and cyberbullying.

Struggles and Trolling

Her outspokenness was what really made her stand out - a characteristic not popular among K-pop artists, who mostly stay very private about their lives and feelings.

She talked frankly of her issues with mental health disorders, cyberbullying, and her intimate affairs, something K-pop management forbids artists from doing.

The 25-year-old insisted that women should be able to dress as they wished, and highly attacked herself for not wearing a bra in public.

"When I first posted a 'no bra' photo there was a lot of talk about it. I was scared and could have hidden, but the reason I did not is that I want to change peoples' prejudices about that. Part of me also wanted to say: 'This isn't that big of a deal,” she said to one of the interviewers.

For all this, from her clothing to the photos she uploaded, she was publicly targeted by keyboard warriors, many of whom found her acts "controversial".

A true trailblazer

Sulli was found dead on Monday at her apartment. The original police report claimed that no sign of foul play occurred. Her close friends said that before her death, she had been depressed.

In the K-pop community, many singers have also spoken out about the need for more help for stars and the stresses they are facing.

Sulli's family and friends, including her former f(x) band members, attended her Thursday funeral. The funeral was originally closed to the media and viewers, but fans were later allowed to bid farewell by SM Entertainment. There have already been thousands of fans paying tribute to her online.