Subway Suicides Down, But Bridge Suicides Up

South Korea has a problem in that they have the regrettable title of the nation with the highest suicide rate in the developed world.  On average, about forty South Koreans commit suicide every day.  How do they do it?  Jumping from high places and jumping in front of trains and subways appear to be common choices.

Recently, Seoul has been installing screens in many of the subway stations in an effort from discouraging people from jumping in front of the tracks.  Article Link Here:

South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the developed world, but a sharp drop in the number of people that tried to kill themselves by jumping in front of subway trains in Seoul last year following prevention measures is stirring discussion about similar steps at other common suicide sites. 

According to a police report, the number of people attempting suicide by jumping from platforms of subway stations in Seoul declined 62% to 29 from 77 in 2009. The decline comes after the installation of screens along many subway platforms that ensure people are unable to get on to the tracks. Most of the deaths occurred at subway stations where screens hadn’t been installed. 

Despite that sharp decline, suicide attempts from bridges spanning the main Han River in Seoul rose 30% to 108 last year from 83, according to the report, which was submitted to Rep. Yoon Seok-yong of the ruling Grand National Party. 

Kim Sung-hoon, an aide to Rep. Yoon, said the lawmaker, who belongs to the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, is thinking of ways to reduce the number of suicide attempts at Han River bridges. 

“He believes the government should establish stumbling blocks or set up fences near the bridges that are notorious for suicide attempts,” Kim said. 

“Years of efforts to install screens at subway stations have made those trying to commit a suicide head towards no-screen stations or Han River bridges where safety checks are still lacking,” said Kim Sung-il, an official at the Korea Association for Suicide Prevention, a non-governmental organization. 

He said the government needs to take measures to prevent suicides at the bridges by, for example, setting up fences. 

According to the police report, the Hangang Bridge topped the list of attempted suicides at the Han River, at 17 cases, followed by Mapo Bridge with 16 attempts. 

In 2009, the latest year for which data are available, South Korea had the highest suicide rate among the 33 mostly wealthy nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, at 28.4 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with the OECD average of 11.2 deaths. The rate was 24.3 for South Korea in 2008. 

OECD data showed the rate in South Korea has increased rapidly even as it has slowed in most other developed nations, with suicides among South Korean males, for instance, almost tripling between 1990 and 2006.

Koreans still have this wrong.  Having screens and safety rails in the subways is a good idea.  This could potentially save the life of someone who loses their balance or the life of a child that does not realize the danger.  However, if you want to stop Koreans from killing themselves as such an alarming rate, then the culture in this country has to change.  

Koreans who experience economic hardship or suffer from a mental disease or depression are encouraged by the culture to keep it hidden from their family and friends.  Too many people here would rather live a lie in public to save face than look vulnerable.  This causes people to eventually snap and if they want to kill themselves, they will find a way.  Fences and screens cannot save a determined suicide case.  Counseling and treatment programs can.  People who need help need to be able to publicly seek it out and not become pariahs amongst their family and friends.

.