A video produced by the Washington Post stated that the suicide problem is highest among the elderly. South Korea’s emphasis on family is, of course, one of the country’s best characteristics. Families form tight knit bonds that, according to Confucianism, the country’s main religion, last even after members of the family have passed away. With Korea becoming more new aged and industry oriented, however, younger Koreans are moving into the city and leaving their elderly relatives alone in more rural areas. This feeling of isolation that the more elderly family members experience, as well as the fact that the country has no major mental health facilities is causing this group’s rates of depression and suicide to increase dramatically.
In addition, suicide is the leading cause of death amongst people in their twenties and thirties. An article in Joongang Daily explained that for those in their twenties, suicide accounts for 40.7% of deaths, and for those in their thirties, 28.7% of deaths. Perhaps some of this can be explained by the high rates of suicide among celebrities and other well-known public officials. The Korea Times reported on several incidents in which politicians and celebrities seemed to take their own lives quite often. When one actress, Choi Jin-sil, committed suicide, in the four weeks after her death, the national rate increased by 7%. When the well-known horse jockey, Park Jin-Hee, took her life in 2010, she wrote a letter explaining that she could no longer deal with the stress of the horse trainers she worked with. Her suicide even sparked the public to ask if human rights had been violated. Similar to the United States, the death of celebrities is covered heavily in South Korean news media. When superstar Michael Jackson died, his death was the focus of United States media for weeks. South Korea also covers these celebrity deaths in a big way. One major difference between South Korea and the United States, however, is that South Korea reports on suicides in cases other than just public figures. While the United States seeks to protect the privacy of victims of suicide and their families, South Korea is far less censored in this area. The deaths of everyday citizens as a result of suicide can be found in mainstream media all over the country.
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| Choi Jin-sil, nicknamed "The Nation's Actress" based on her popularity throughout South Korea, committed suicide in 2008. Her suicide sparked many other South Koreans to take their own lives, and in the four weeks following her death, the nation's suicide rate increased by 7%. |
South Korea’s quick change from being an agrarian society to being a much more high tech society is said to be a contributing factor to the high rate of suicide. One of the biggest problems stems from the country’s high usage of technology and the Internet. A news site based out of Singapore, The Straits Times, reported that South Korean websites dedicated to forming suicide pacts have stemmed up all over the country, but it is hard for authorities to track and control them. A New York Times article reported that South Koreans have good broadband access, and this allows them to share tips about committing suicide. Similarly, many Japanese news sites, like The Japan Times, have also reported this suicide pact problem. A common example of these mass suicides is one in which several people will lock themselves in tight spaces, such as garages or cars, and die from exposure to carbon monoxide. The fact that these suicides are being reported on is further proof of the low level of sensitivity to the subject. Also, it is proof that the country’s people and government are aware of the problem.
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| The nation's access to the Internet is contributing to the creation of online "suicide pacts," in which groups of people will get together to think of the "best" way of ending their own life. On June 2nd, reports that four Southern Koreans formed a suicide pact and committed suicide were released on the internet. |
The Hankyoreh, a South Korean website dedicated to good diplomatic relations between South and North Korea, attributed the suicide problem to a combination of factors. In their interview with a member of the National Statistical Office (NSO), the NSO official stated, “The high suicide rate in South Korea seems to reflect a surge in social conflicts, including feuds between the sexes, economic hardship and domestic violence.” In addition, divorce rates are at a record high in the country. The deteriorating family structure, something that South Korean culture is quite dependent on, is leaving many citizens depressed. With seemingly no other way out, they take their own lives.
The country’s government has made no major efforts to help decrease the suicide problem, however, smaller efforts do exist: South Korea’s coffin academy is one of these efforts. A video produced by Al Jazeera explains that at the coffin academy, people are forced to confront their own death in order to get more out of life. They write and read their own will, and are then placed into a coffin where their death is simulated for 10 minutes. Leaders at the academy go so far as to fake the nailing down of the coffins to make the “deaths” as realistic as possible. According to the academy, people need to go through this fairly traumatic experience in order to appreciate their lives more. The academy’s popularity is growing as many businesses are now making it mandatory that their employees attend the class. The fact that the Academy is now helping more people than just those that have reported feeling depressed may be the sign of a larger problem. South Korean companies as well as everyday citizens are clearly noticing the problem and trying to find a solution, so it is surprising that the government is not playing a larger role. Although there is a national Suicide Prevention Program, little if anything has been done to help those that are at risk of committing suicide.
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| Two students at the South Korean Coffin Academy wait to be "nailed in." The Coffin Academy serves as one of the country's few ways that people at risk of committing suicide can seek help. |
South Korea is a country that prides itself on its technological and economical growth as well as its close family ties, yet these same achievements are contributing to the country having one of the highest rates of suicide in the world. The problem is not hidden from the public, and yet no major efforts are being done to find a solution. Perhaps now it is time the government focuses on the health of its own people and acknowledges that with success, there may still be failure.
-Lindsay MacLeod
