Dark Side

Sculptures such as this one have been installed on Mapo Bridge in Seoul to remind people of their loved ones and discourage suicide. The sculptures are accompanied by signs, CCTV cameras, and suicide hotline phones on the bridge.
Sculptures such as this one have been installed on Mapo Bridge in Seoul to remind people of their loved ones and discourage suicide. The sculptures are accompanied by signs, CCTV cameras, and suicide hotline phones on the bridge.

 

It has been found that 39.5 Koreans killed themselves per day on average last year. In particular, suicide was the leading cause of death for those in their teens to 30s.

Specifically, a total of 14,427 Koreans committed suicide in 2013 and the number increased by 267, or 1.9 percent, from a year earlier.

The suicide death rate per 100,000 persons increased from 28.1 to 28.5, too. For reference, the average suicide rate was 12.1 persons for OECD member countries during the same period, which means that Korea’s suicide rate is more than twice the OECD average.

The male suicide rate jumped 4.2 percent year-on-year to 39.8 persons, whereas that of females decreased by 4.2 percent to 17.3. By age group, the rate went up for those in their 30s (3.8 percent), 40s (6.1 percent), and 50s (7.9 percent).

Copyright © BusinessKorea. Prohibited from unauthorized reproduction and redistribution