South Korea is going through a suicide crisis, ranking first in suicide rate in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for more than a decade. A report by the Yonhap News Agency in September shows that around 40 people in South Korea take their own lives every day, an increase of 26.5 percent compared with a decade ago. Furthermore, there is a steeper rise in the rate of suicide among adolescents and senior citizens.

Competition is quite fierce in South Korean society. The country's unprecedented development is driven by vehement competition. South Koreans have a strong sense of crisis and are vying fiercely for promotion.

South Korea has registered the longest average working hours per year among the OECD members. Overtime work has become a pervasive phenomenon. Long-time highly loaded work will inevitably lead to mountainous pressure.

South Korean society also has a mania for education. Cram schooling has become a pillar industry to support economic growth.

Some parents would even sell their houses to earn a place for their children in a cram school. It is also nothing new for housewives to accompany their children to study abroad for years.

Facing immense pressure from examinations and enrollment, students may easily develop mental illnesses by living in constant fear of failure.

South Koreans attach great importance to seniority. Differences in ages and qualifications between older and younger generations aggravate the feeling of depression.

South Korean society has been deeply influenced by Confucian culture and therefore the concept of "seniority" has taken a firm root. This has further encouraged authoritarianism among elders, under which young people feel increasingly stifled, consequently leading to unexpected tragedies.

South Korean society also attaches great importance to male chauvinism. Husbands are often the heads of the family and most women become housewives immediately after getting married. The enormous pressure on husbands also contributes to the high suicide rate for men.

According to the JoongAng Ilbo, one of eight adults in South Korea suffers from depression but less than 10 percent of them have received psychological counseling or treatment. Depression has become a severe mental disease disturbing South Korean society. Without proper treatment, patients will eventually commit suicide.

Immature employment and social welfare systems constitute another reason for the high suicide rate.

Since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the employment system in the South has been quite unstable.

For instance, those who fail to get promoted at their 40s to 50s have to quit voluntarily, which is an unwritten rule. They have no living allowances except the dispensable retirement pension they get from their firms upon leaving.

The official poverty rate among the population above the age of 65 was 48.1 percent in 2013 and 70 percent said they could hardly make ends meet. Loneliness and disease are major causes of suicide among senior citizens.

Last but not least, the culture of South Korea's media has played a negative role. Many media outlets often make reports in an exaggerated manner to draw attention. In recent years, a number of stars have committed suicide, which has received a lot of coverage and even praise in the media. 

The high suicide rate in South Korea can be viewed as the shock of the Western capitalist system to traditional values in the East. It is a growing pain brought about by rapid social development.

Money, ability and freedom have become standards to measure success in a capitalist value system, but authoritarianism, collective consciousness and family values still possess an intangible but powerful influence.

When there is a collision between the two, suicide may become the choice for those who want to escape reality.

If this phenomenon continues unabated, it will have a lethal impact on the happiness of individuals and families as well as the national image and economic growth of South Korea. Without addressing this grave issue properly, South Korea will fail to turn to a mature society and a happy country.



The author is deputy director of the Center for Korean Studies, Fudan University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn