K-Pop Star Kwon Min-ah Attempts Suicide on New Year’s Day...Struck by Compounded Suffering from Past Bullying, Sexual Assault, and Legal Setbacks

K-Pop star Kwon Min-ah attempted suicide shortly after New Year’s Day in 2026 but was rescued. The 32-year-old singer and actress posted a social media message titled “This is my farewell. I’m sorry” on January 1, and about two hours later, she shared that she had attempted suicide but was found and saved.

Kwon Min-ah described the rescue attempt as follows: “If only a little more time had passed, I really could have kept my promise today. Suddenly, I heard noise, and someone shook me violently. My consciousness faded in and out repeatedly as I screamed ‘Please,’ before being rescued again.” She subsequently deleted her social media accounts completely.

This suicide attempt was Kwon Min-ah’s third attempt at self-harm. She first attempted suicide in 2020 after accusing AOA member Shin Ji-min of group bullying, suffering extreme psychological distress as a result. In 2021, she was found unconscious at her home and hospitalized.

Before attempting suicide, Kwon Min-ah stated on social media that she was not in a normal mental state, mentioning the ongoing psychological pain caused by past bullying and a sexual assault incident in 2007. She described, “I did everything because I felt so wronged. I hated feeling wronged so much that I mustered the courage to speak up, but it ended up destroying me.”

In particular, the 2007 sexual assault case led to more than four years of legal battles. Kwon Min-ah explained, “I spent four years in court as a victim. The sexual assault was recognized, but no injury was proven. In the first trial, the perpetrator was acquitted due to the statute of limitations.” She lamented that lack of evidence became a practical barrier. “There were no physical evidence, no CCTV footage, and no recordings. I couldn’t report it to the police out of fear of retaliation, and I couldn’t go to the hospital either for fear my mother would find out.”

Kwon Min-ah’s psychological suffering began in her childhood. She revealed that she grew up in an unstable home environment with domestic violence. Since her father refused to pay child support, she had to work from a young age to support her mother and younger sister. By the time she joined AOA in 2012, she already carried deep trauma.

The situation worsened after she exposed bullying within AOA in 2020. Initially, she received public support, but later suffered secondary harm from malicious comments. Kwon Min-ah described herself as “like a boy who summoned wolves.” Her current agency declared it would wage “war” against the users of malicious comments, arguing that the spread of false information and personal attacks caused “severe psychological harm.”

When Kwon Min-ah debuted with AOA in 2012, she was part of the group that gained massive popularity through songs like “Mini Skirt,” “Heart Attack,” and “Like a Cat.” While active in the group, she also began her acting career, appearing in various works. However, she left the group in 2019, and her subsequent journey was marred by psychological suffering.

Kwon Min-ah’s attempt at self-harm once again exposed the high pressures within the K-Pop industry and the shortcomings of its mental health support systems. Those around her described her as a “gentle person,” but they believed she was pushed to the brink by a series of misfortunes. Her case illustrates just how severe the lack of mental health support is in South Korea’s highly competitive entertainment industry.