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Late K-Pop star Sulli talks about personal life, career in Netflix’s ‘Dear Jinri’

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Nikka Avegail Sabio

<p>South Korean and late K-pop idol Sulli, whose real name is Choi Jinri, shared stories about her life, including her dreams, on Netflix’s documentary <em>Dear Jinri</em> released last November 13.</p><p>Based on her interview back in 2019, the then-25-year-old idol candidly opened up about her childhood and life as one of the more well-known South Korean stars.</p><p>The interviews took place months before her unfortunate passing,</p><div><br/></div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Bm6Neh9Hn/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Bm6Neh9Hn/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><br/></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Bm6Neh9Hn/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by 설리가진리 (Sulli) (@jelly_jilli)</a></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Sulli shared that when she was younger, she dreamed of making dolls that looked like her mother.</p><p>“My mom was rarely home. I missed her all the time,” she shared.</p><p>“It was my job to wait for her each day,” she added. “I wanted to make a doll looking just like Mom.”</p><p>Although the idol said they resembled each other in such a way that they appeared as though they were twins, she and her mom viewed love differently.</p><p>She described her, saying: “All she (her mom) ever wanted was to love and be loved. She was a little girl. It seemed love was everything to her.”</p><p>“But in my case, I found myself rejecting the idea that love is the most important (thing) in life. When I fell in love, I used to give it hard and pour it out. Now, I try to go and then back up a little. I almost rushed forward before coming to my senses. I wasn&#x27;t able to control myself in love but I’m getting better at it. I am proud,&quot; she added. </p><p>Sulli also shared that even if she needed her mom when she couldn’t make her own decisions, she firmly stood with two things she wanted to do when she reached her twenties.</p><p>“I told my mom what I wanted to do. The first was to find me a therapist. The other was to date someone,” she said.</p><p>“It was the first decision I made(on) my own. I had no regrets,&quot; she added.  </p><p>The &quot;Dorothy&quot; singer also shared her thoughts about being a K-pop idol. She said she thought that idols were work laborers and needed labor rights to be protected, including minimum wage and standard working time.</p><p>“Being a K-pop idol is (the) worst,” she expressed. “I don’t feel people think celebrities are human. They don’t see us as humans.”</p><div><br/></div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3bPv7LBAp3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3bPv7LBAp3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><br/></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3bPv7LBAp3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by 설리가진리 (Sulli) (@jelly_jilli)</a></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>“When I started a job in the entertainment business, there was one thing people wouldn&#x27;t stop telling me which I didn&#x27;t think absurd back then,&quot; she added. </p><p>Sulli emphasized one of the things she remembered someone telling her during her rookie days. “You are a product. You need to be the finest, top-quality product to the public. That’s what you are,&quot; she shared. </p><p>Giving a glimpse of the harsh reality as an idol, she said: “I had to be what they wanted me to be. I had to fear losing my product value. For one thing in my case, I couldn’t give voice to my opinions.”</p><p>“We were basically puppets,” she commented. “Who cares if I’m exhausted?”</p><p>The documentary also highlighted how the young idol valued speaking up about fair and just treatment of anyone despite strict control and constraints even if she gets criticized. </p><p>“All the things I’ve done on my social media. I did them because I wanted to.” </p><p>She also expressed her support for feminism.</p><div><br/></div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/By5GZfzBXIL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/By5GZfzBXIL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><br/></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/By5GZfzBXIL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by 설리가진리 (Sulli) (@jelly_jilli)</a></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>“I tend to stick to my beliefs. Sometimes I know I got canceled for no good reason, I just think I knew it and I keep going with what made me feel good,&quot; she said. </p><p>Sulli, who also was a victim of cyberbullying, received rude and inappropriate comments about her career. </p><p>When asked how she coped with it, she frankly said that she blamed herself most of the time.</p><p>“That’s what I did,” she tearfully answered. “The only time I felt in control was when I was giving myself pain. The only thing I could ever control was to blame myself and put me down.”</p><p>“It was tough but it (was) probably keeps me going,&quot; she added. </p><p>Members of her former girl group, f(x), were also mentioned in the documentary after she was asked what she cares about the most.</p><p>“It was the people, each member. I don’t think anybody gets this but when you lose a member in a group, you’re left with a void,” she said.</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ffx.smtown%2Fphotos%2Fa.698673483486574%2F698673510153238%2F%3Ftype%3D3&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="335" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Sulli was the first member who officially left the group in August 2015 to focus on her acting career.</p><p>“Everyone of us was part of the sisterhood. I love them. We had each other’s back. We told one another we get through it as a team,&quot; she said. </p><p><em>Persona: Sulli</em> is an hour-and-a-half-minute documentary that centers on the 2019 interview of the late idol’s life and career.</p><p>Photos, video clips, artworks, and writings of Sulli were also featured in the film.</p><p>In October 2019, the South Korean idol was found dead at her residence in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. </p><p>Police later then confirmed that Sulli had committed suicide.</p><div><strong>READ: <a href="https://push.abs-cbn.com/2019/10/14/fresh-scoops/former-fx-member-sulli-dead-at-25-40175" id="isPasted"><strong>Former f(x) member Sulli dead at 25</strong></a> </strong></div><div><em>If you or a loved one is in need of help, the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) has trained respondents to properly deal with those in need. Contact the hotline at 0917-899-USAP (8727) / 0917-989-8727. You can also contact HopelinePhilippines at (02) 804-HOPE (4673), 0917 558 HOPE (4673), 2919 (Toll free for Globe, TM). </em></div>

<p><i>The documentary is based on the late Kpop idol’s interview in 2019.</i></p>

Late K-Pop star Sulli talks about personal life, career in Netflix’s ‘Dear Jinri’

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Late K-Pop star Sulli talks about personal life, career in Netflix’s ‘Dear Jinri’

Nikka Sabio

Published November 20, 2023 06:33 PM PHT

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Sulli

Dear Jinri

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