Daniel Kang fans cheer K-pop star as he takes a break to deal with mental health issues amid spate of celebrity deaths

Kang’s fans have been tweeting #WeAreWithDaniel as they rally around the singer dealing with mental health issues

The singer’s announcement comes in the wake of the deaths of fellow K-pop stars Sulli, Goo Hara and Cha In-ha

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K-pop star Daniel Kang, formerly of boy band Wanna One, is going on a break from singing, citing “depression and panic disorder”, and his fans are coming out in support of his decision on Twitter.

Published: 3:28pm, 4 Dec 2019Updated: 4:43pm, 4 Dec 2019

Messages of support have been flooding in for K-pop star Daniel Kang, who has made the decision to take a break to deal with mental health issues. This announcement comes as South Korea struggles to come to terms with a spate of celebrity deaths.

The hashtag #WeAreWithDaniel has been trending on Twitter ever since the agency representing the 22-year-old former member of K-pop boy band Wanna One announced Kang would be putting his career on hold to seek treatment for depression and panic disorder.

“Beginning from the first half of the year, Daniel visited the hospital after experiencing poor health due to a weak immune system and psychological anxiety. After being examined by doctors, he was diagnosed with depression and panic disorder. He has since continued to focus on receiving treatment through psychotherapy and medication,” the Konnect agency said in a statement.

“Though he did his best to stay grounded and not falter in a constantly changing environment despite his condition, he recently showed more severe symptoms of anxiety. Because of this, we decided that getting sufficient rest and stability is the most important for the artist’s health and safety.”

The pressure placed on celebrities working in South Korea’s fiercely competitive entertainment industry has once again come under the spotlight after the deaths of three entertainers – singers Sulli (October 14) and Goo Hara (November 24) and actor-singer Cha In-ha (December 3) – in the past two months. Sulli and Goo are believed to have committed suicide.

On Twitter, fans have been overwhelmingly supportive of Kang’s move to safeguard his mental health. Hashtags that featured his name were in the top-three trending topics today.

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