Kim Ji-hu

Kim Ji-hoo (; April 5, 1985 – October 6, 2008) was a South Korean actor and model whose suicide brought attention to discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in South Korea as well as to the issue of suicide in the country, with many notable cases in the weeks preceding Kim's death and after, including that of former President Roh Moo-hyun in May 2009.

Career and suicide Born in 1985 in Seoul, Kim began a career as a model in 2007, appearing that year in the MBC TV sitcom High Kick! and the drama series Before and After: Plastic Surgery Clinic, also broadcast on MBC.

According to his mother's testimony to police after his death, Kim suffered from professional and personal difficulties following his coming out, with fellow actor Hong Seok-cheon, who is also gay, saying that he too suffered from similar discrimination for being gay.

Reaction

Along the statements of Kim's mother and actor Hong reassuring that Kim had suffered heavily from homophobic harassment, the Songpa Police Department said that his suicide "reflected public prejudice towards gay people and their difficulty in succeeding in the entertainment industry." The issue and debate resurfaced months later upon the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun, who jumped to his death in May 2009.