Aug 12, · SOUTH KOREA, a dynamo of growth, is also afire with faith. This week Pope Francis will spend five days there, for Asian Youth Day and to beatify early martyrs May 21, · Meanwhile, South Korea has among the O.E.C.D.’s highest rates of poverty; the rate for the nation’s seniors tops the list. Koreans also work some of the longest hours in the world but In South Korea, a law school was an undergraduate institution where students major in law and are awarded a Légum Baccalaureus, or LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws). Following graduation, candidates must take and pass the bar exam. Under the present judiciary exam (as of ), the number of new lawyers admitted each year was limited to 1,
The “Scourge of South Korea”: Stress and Suicide in Korean Society – Berkeley Political Review
South Korea has achieved remarkable growth in the 60 years after WWII. One change has been a sharp south korea essay in the suicide rates among large segments of the population, including adolescents and the elderly. Suicide is the fourth most common cause of death in South Korea; on average, 40 people commit suicide every day. South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nations, which include countries such as Germany, the U.
It is the only OECD country whose suicide rates have increased since the s. For years, social scientists have puzzled over why this economically successful state has such startlingly high suicide rates.
While all the reasons may never be known, research on the topic has provided us with some answers. South Korea is known for its high-stress professional and educational environments, south korea essay, in which it is customary to work or study long hours into the night. These customs likely developed from worry about the economy. InKorea experienced a huge economic crash and thousands of people were out of work. Since then, fear of another such crash recurring has intensified workplace stress.
According to the Journal of Royal Society of Medicine, during a period of economic uncertainty, in places where people have easy access to unhealthy coping mechanisms, there are higher rates of mortality from suicide. Studies have shown a correlation between economic stress and physical and emotional well-being. Adolescents and the elderly, south korea essay considered vulnerable groups in society, are the most at risk for suicide.
For children, most suicides are caused by stress relating to education. Korean children have a school year of 11 months and often spend over 16 hours a day at school and at afterschool programs called hagwons. All this studying is done to get into the top three universities in South Korea, all of which are known for their miniscule acceptance rates. Family prestige and honor are often tied to where children go to university, and many adolescents take their own lives out of that stress.
Elderly suicides also occur at an alarmingly high rate — the highest of OECD countries. They may have no one to rely on either; as Korea is becoming more and more economically advanced, more Koreans are abandoning their elderly parents in the countryside and sending them money less frequently. South Korea, however, is not unique in its culture of stress. Other countries, including Singapore and Japan, have high-stress work environments but do not face the same high suicide rates that South Korea does.
The special combination of factors that has led to this situation includes traditional cultural beliefs and the social stigma around receiving treatment for mental illnesses.
Korean culture emphasizes diligence, modesty, and stoicism south korea essay, as well as keeping family honor intact. While these attributes of society may be part of why South Koreans do not seek treatment for mental illness, these societal values and characteristics are not unique to South Korea.
Most East Asian societies are similarly focused on family and influenced by Buddhism and Confucianism, so it cannot be claimed that culture alone is responsible for the high suicide rate.
Culture, however, is related to is the social stigma around treatment for mental illnesses. Most South Koreans with mental illnesses never see a medical professional because it is south korea essay a thing of shame, as if one is too weak to handle the pressures of life that everyone experiences, south korea essay.
Instead, most turn to self medication to solve their problems. Self medication takes on many forms in Korea; people exercise, use social media, attend religious gatherings, south korea essay, and abuse south korea essay. Of these, alcohol abuse is the most common and the deadliest.
This is especially shocking when compared to the U. Heavy drinking in South Korea is directly tied to its culture of hard work — most people justify taking up to 10 shots a night with the need to relax. While deadly, alcohol abuse is seen as more socially acceptable than psychiatric visits to treat mental illnesses, south korea essay.
The South Korean government has taken some measures to combat the high suicide rates, but none have been very effective. The legislature revised the Mental Health Act in Marchbut only really changed the terms under which someone can be involuntarily institutionalized.
The Ministry of Gender and Family created recently the National Youth Healing Center, a program that has little to offer other than counseling programs for students. Part of the problem is that South Korea spends an infinitesimal amount of money on improving the mental health of its citizens. While the solution to a problem is never to throw money at it, Korea needs to make a investment in the welfare of its people or face the economic consequences. South Korea functions as a counterexample to the prevailing belief that happiness is related to the economic success of a society.
As the economy grew, south korea essay, the stress in South Korean society increased, as did the rates of depression and suicide. The takeaway here is that countries south korea essay take an active hand in providing for the health of their citizens — both physical and mental. Countries like South Korea are economically but not socially viable, and a country needs to be both in order to be sustainable.
South Korea needs to take decisive action to ensure that its citizens are safe from the biggest threat of all: themselves. Published in World, south korea essay.
Ana Singh is an Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Political Review for the academic year. She is a senior at UC Berkeley studying Public Health and Political Science. When she's not writing for BPR, you can find her researching public health policy and taking walks with her cats.
You can contact her at anasingh berkeley. Until then, mental illness shall remain a double edge sword. This was worth the reading! In general, suicide is everywhere and it needs to be talk about more to parents, teachers, elders, and of course students at all ages.
Too many fantastic statistics! South Korean high school year is not 11 months. I can believe that students may study that much right before exams. Not on most days, south korea essay. But, I should concede that South Korean students do spend comparatively much time in class of some kind. Stress could be real, but teenagers are often made of stronger stuff than you think: often they simply accept the reality and in fact, often they enjoy going to prep classes, south korea essay, and so on: no parents to watch you there!
As far as I know, normally New Zealand tops the list along with Finland, and so on but it depends on the year. I give my sources:. People speculate, but no one seems to be sure. After all, studying suicides is a depressing science. And, where is Korea in that list? Right in south korea essay middle. But it is very true that Korea tops the list of overall suicide rate, and there is a clear and well-documented reason: poverty in old age.
In fact, except for the elderly, suicide rate in other age groups in Korea is quite south korea essay to other countries. As Korea was very poor not too long ago, south korea essay, old age pension was not available or uncommon. Therefore, many seniors many of whom became old before pension became common lack pension, thus are extremely poor.
In fact, that was No. The condition is getting better fast as more people subscribe to pension fund. Thank you for posting these corrections, south korea essay, B. I tried to find the suicide statistics and it appears that Ms. Singh is mistaken on that and probably much more. From personal interactions with Korean families, I do believe that the stress levels for students in Korea are fantastic. Your statistic are wrong… Unfortunately the article is closer to reality. Korea has the dramatic lead amongst age 10 to 19 suicide rate, and above Now this society as most modern society anyway is not sustainable.
Another sign is that Korean do not want to have children anymore. It has to change! I feel blessed of having this article in my hand. In fact as a school counselor south korea essay a public middle school, I am struggling with such students almost everyday. In the structure of our school system, bracing it by myself is beyond my ability. In the past years, so often I was stuck in similar problems caused by stress and violence.
I hope that the true value of life should be taught to all the students in my country including their family through both schools and societies, not focused on their achievements only but also on their rejoicing the works they choose.
So be happy! South Korea is seemingly an economically thriving nation, however at the inside of it is confronted with critical source of revenue inequality, south korea essay, an enormous housing disaster and continual underemployment amongst younger other people. These are mainstream […].
I know family is important but I think the government should provide for the people because Korea is a very successful and talented country I will put all my effort to get there. Hello; thank you for the article. could you re-link the source for the suicide rate? the link leads to the WHO report but I was not able to find the number in it….
I am a researcher and this info would be really useful, south korea essay. Thank you. the family conection and the lack of knowing the meaning of life might be the deeper source for that., south korea essay. all we need in the world is connection of care and love between us. Im as a kpop lover was amazed by those stories, south korea essay. I wish for all of humanity to come to love and care that for sure brings alot of happiness.
Good site you have here. I really appreciate people like you!
South Korea - Basic Information - Everyone Must Know
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Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report: APA. Smith, Brett. (, August 08). South Korea: Environmental Issues, Policies and Clean Technology Oct 31, · Suicide is the fourth most common cause of death in South Korea; on average, 40 people commit suicide every day. South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations, which include countries such as Germany, the U.K., and Japan. It is the only OECD country whose suicide rates In South Korea, a law school was an undergraduate institution where students major in law and are awarded a Légum Baccalaureus, or LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws). Following graduation, candidates must take and pass the bar exam. Under the present judiciary exam (as of ), the number of new lawyers admitted each year was limited to 1,
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