It recently came to light that a fan of SHINee was among the teenagers who died in the Sewol Ferry tragedy.

The mother of the young girl, whose name was Dayoung, was cleaning her daughter's bedroom when she found a lot of SHINee paraphernalia and realized how big of a fan her daughter was.

The mother then reached out to the the producer in charge of dealing with the Sewol Ferry incident, and mentioned that it would have been her daughter's birthday in one week, if not for her passing. She hoped that the PD would be able to get an autograph from SHINee for her daughter, to commemorate her birthday.

SHINee, however, didn't just stop at an autograph but the leader Onew wrote a long, heartfelt letter to Dayoung. The letter gained a lot of public attention, and became a hot topic in Korea.  As a result, Jonghyun also discussed the incident publicly.

"We heard that you love SHINee's songs.

My heart became heavy...This is so difficult...I'm unable to understand that kind of feeling, you're definitely going to a better place, become peaceful, that's what I would like to think.

Will this be comforting for you...It will be good if saying these things will be able to comfort you...

In the end, I'm just feeling sad and more apologetic."

Onew also brought up his own personal experience of losing a friend to an illness. He said that, just as he didn't forget his own friend, he will never forget Dayoung.

"I once had a very close friend who left this world because of illness. Even though this friend was ill, they insisted on taking photos, just to be able to see once even from afar but then passed away shortly thereafter.

I just want to tell you, I will remember you just like I remembered that friend, and all the people around you will pray for you and will always remember you."

Jonghyun also addressed the incident on a radio show, explaining that SHINee had decided to reach out to Dayoung in order to comfort her family. However, because SHINee is an idol group, even a simple act like that became news.

"I hope that the victims will go to a better place. We face a lot of difficulties in our lives. I really don't wish for such things to happen again. Everyone please treasure your life."