A national debate about the alarmingly high suicide rate
A COMPETITIVE spirit is something South Koreans pride themselves on. It has contributed both to the vast number of Koreans attending elite American universities, and to the country’s consistently strong economic performance. The never-ending push for achievement, however, also has a dark side: depression is a serious problem, and the recorded suicide ratearound 22 per 100,000 people is the highest in the OECD. Now a popular television actor, Park Yong-ha, has become the latest in a series of star suicides. They have prompted a national debate, and the sad spectre of "copycat" suicides.
According to a family friend, Mr Park felt burdened by the search for greater fame at home, where his popularity did not match what he achieved in Japan. He also seems to have had worries about his father’s health, and to have been in financial difficulties.
Hwang Sang-min, a professor of psychology at Yonsei University in Seoul, argues that Korean society’s strong focus on appearances having the right education, job or perceived level of success is a big factor in the high suicide rate. "Koreans always want to show their best image to other people," he notes, but when this cannot be maintained, it can lead to a desire simply to "give up".
The focus on appearances is not unique to South Korea, and many blame the country’s media for helping build a "suicide myth." Famous people who take their own lives become the focus of sensationalised reporting. Mr. Hwang believes this can "provide a framework" for the vulnerable. A journalist in Seoul says there are guidelines for press coverage of suicide. The exact details of the manner of death, for instance, should not be reported. But he says the guidelines are often outed.
Besides calling for greater press restraint, those worrying about suicide are also campaigning for a change in attitudes to mental illness. As in many other countries, this has long been stigmatised. Depression is beginning to be more widely recognised as a sickness. Even so, the suicide rate remains alarmingly high. An average of around 40 people a day took their own lives in 2009, an increase of nearly 19% on 2008. It seems odd that a country that can take so much pride in its economic and social progress in the past 50 years could have so many troubled citizens. But, as Park Yong-ha reportedly said: "This life is so hard."
굵게 처리한 부분...저거 비꼬는 건가? ㅋㅋ
그리고, suicide myth 같은 게 그리 큰 의미를 가질까?
배고프넹.