Jo Jang-mi, internet personality, is dead at 27

Jo Jang-mi, an internet personality known for gaming and mukbang, has died, according to local media reports.
 
She was 27.
 
Jo, who went by the handle of BJ Jammi on Twitch, was suffering from depression following an incident in 2019 in which she became the subject of online attacks.  
 
“I am on medication for my depression which is caused by the comments,” Jo said during a Twitch broadcast in May 2020.
 
BJ is short for “broadcasting jockey,” which is a person that films themselves talking, eating or playing games on live broadcasting websites such as YouTube or Twitch.  
 
During a broadcast in 2019, Jo made a hand gesture that some viewers interpreted as a signal of man-hating feminism. She subsequently made two public apologies, but the negative comments continued.  
 
The cause of death was not given, but one online post from a person claiming to be a family member reported that she had killed herself.
 
“Hello, I am Jang-mi’s uncle, and I am writing to inform everyone that BJ Jammi has ended her own life,” according to the post on the BJ Jammi’s Twitch account. “The cause of her death was depression, which occurred due to large amounts of hateful comments and rumors about her.”
 
A Blue House petition was posted Saturday asking the government to punish those making the negative comments.
 
The petition received support from 30,000 people in a single day.  
 
As of Sunday, Jo had some 160,000 subscribers on Twitch and 130,000 subscribers on YouTube. 
 
If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. 

BY LEE JIAN [[email protected]]

Jo Jang-mi, an internet personality known for gaming and, has died, according to local media reports.She was 27.Jo, who went by the handle of BJ Jammi on Twitch, was suffering from depression following an incident in 2019 in which she became the subject of online attacks.”I am on medication for my depression which is caused by the comments,” Jo said during a Twitch broadcast in May 2020.BJ is short for “broadcasting jockey,” which is a person that films themselves talking, eating or playing games on live broadcasting websites such as YouTube or Twitch.During a broadcast in 2019, Jo made a hand gesture that some viewers interpreted as a signal of man-hating feminism. She subsequently made two public apologies, but the negative comments continued.The cause of death was not given, but one online post from a person claiming to be a family member reported that she had killed herself.”Hello, I am Jang-mi’s uncle, and I am writing to inform everyone that BJ Jammi has ended her own life,” according to the post on the BJ Jammi’s Twitch account. “The cause of her death was depression, which occurred due to large amounts of hateful comments and rumors about her.”A Blue House petition was posted Saturday asking the government to punish those making the negative comments.The petition received support from 30,000 people in a single day.As of Sunday, Jo had some 160,000 subscribers on Twitch and 130,000 subscribers on YouTube.BY LEE JIAN [[email protected]]