K-pop influencer Mina Chan died by an apparent suicide during a TikTok livestream, after facing intense criticism from K-pop fans.
Chan, 26, was known for being a prominent fan of the K-pop group ENHYPEN, and had over 80,000 followers on TikTok.
According to the Korea Herald, the horrifying incident occurred on Aug. 5 while Chan was livestreaming from her residence. The Yongsan Police Station told the outlet that police found her dead at around 5:33 a.m. after receiving a report from one of her acquaintances.
Multiple social media users reportedly urged authorities to help the Japanese social media star — who was based in South Korea — as the livestream was happening.
Chan’s younger sister reportedly confirmed her death through an Instagram Story the following day, according to the Daily Mail.
“My beloved older sister, who was always kind and warm to everyone she met, has passed away,” the message read. “I kindly ask that you keep my sister in your thoughts and prayers.”
Ahead of Chan’s death, she faced brutal criticism from ENHYPEN fans over an interaction during the boy band’s show last month in the US.
Chan attempted to get band member Sunoo to pass flowers to fellow member Ni-ki — who like Chan, is from Japan — and some fans accused her of overstepping boundaries.
Chan apologized for the incident with a lengthy statement on X on July 31.
“I feel like my actions ended up taking advantage of Sunoo’s kindness,” she wrote. “I’m truly sorry. I feel so apologetic toward Sunoo and all the Sunoo fans.”
“By attending ENHYPEN’s fansigns multiple times, I had deluded myself into thinking I was closer to the members than I actually was,” she continued.
“I deeply regret the rude behavior I exhibited in America. I ruined the atmosphere of the venue by prioritizing my own desire to meet Ni-ki over the precious time Ni-ki, who loves America so much, deserved. I’m truly sorry.”
Still, Chan received hateful messages from fans. Following her death, some followers took to Chan’s last Instagram posts to share messages of condolences.
“The amount of hate, harassment and blame-shifting in this fandom is genuinely disgusting,” one follower commented. “We lost a sweet, beautiful and kind girl with a big heart …That people who hurt you aren’t fans and it feels wrong to call them like this because the artists don’t support such behavior and real fans don’t support it either … May you rest peacefully, beautiful girl.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
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