A 25-year-old Japanese influencer known online as Mina Chan has died by suicide after reportedly facing intense online harassment linked to her passion for K-pop group ENHYPEN.
Mina, who was creating content from Seoul, had recently attended an ENHYPEN concert in the United States. During the event, she filmed herself asking member Sunoo to pass a bouquet of flowers to fellow member Ni-Ki. What appeared to be an innocent gesture quickly became the target of criticism from some fans.
Some followers accused Mina of trying to use the group to gain attention and claimed that she had crossed boundaries with the idols. The backlash intensified after Ni-Ki posted a message on July 30 referring to people who were allegedly willing to do anything to get noticed. Although he did not name anyone, some fans believed the comment was directed at Mina.
She later apologized publicly, saying she felt she had taken advantage of Sunoo’s kindness and had overestimated how close she was to the group. But the online attacks reportedly continued.
On August 5, Mina appeared on a TikTok livestream visibly distressed and in tears. During the broadcast, she expressed fear and said she no longer wanted to live. She subsequently died by suicide.
Authorities have reportedly opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
The tragedy has once again raised serious questions about the destructive side of online fandoms, cyberbullying and how quickly social-media criticism can turn into a relentless personal attack.
