Suicide
Suicide is a major public health problem in many countries, but it has reached alarmingly high rates in Korea with over forty individuals a day choosing to end their lives. As a teacher and member of society, this situation is as shocking as it is tragic; the loss to a family, friends, and society is immeasurable. Although the suicide rate continues to trend upward, the fact that more people are willing to openly discuss what was once a highly stigmatized topic provides hope for viable solutions to the problem.
Below are a few links to interesting articles on the topic.
This article from the Economist magazine, which attributes Korea’s remarkable economic success to its ‘can do,’ also suggests that the competitive mindset may be part of the problem. It quotes Hwang Sang Min, a professor of psychology at Yonsei University, who that 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”.
In a recently released report based on data from Statistics Korea, suicide is the leading cause of death among young people. “The data shows there’s a serious problem within our social structure in terms of education and the economy,” a researcher said. “The education system makes teenagers severely depressed. Also, workers and college students in their early 20s have difficulty coping with inflation.”
Here is a personal story of a businessman who attempted suicide, failed, and found a better life.
This website is one of several online sites offering therapy and mental health education. I thought this line was particulary informative, “Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain.” From the website came this advice: You can survive suicidal feelings if you do either of two things: (1) find a way to reduce your pain, or (2) find a way to increase your coping resources. Both are possible.
Students: You can comment on any of the linked articles above, or you can write a paragraph focusing on one/a few of the following areas – possible causes, effects, warning signs and symptoms, treatment, prevention, solutions, coping with suicidal thoughts, and coping with a loved one who has suicidal thoughts. Of course, you may also include other ideas related to this topic.
English Language Pages 
I have read through all websites above, and out of those was [http://www.metanoia.org/suicide] the most interesting, which even tries to prevent possible suicide committees from putting into action by actually reading through the very page! I am pretty sure all those causes of self-killing might have been along for a long time and everyone may know it. So, instead of just laying words out as to analyzing the causes of suicide, I am going to share my experience on dealing with extreme depression. Some of the boys in our class might have already served in the military. I was also on the draft line a few years ago, but volunteered myself for Korea Coast Guard’s combat police force. It, however, brought extreme negativity from the first day of enlistment – that I have got my freedom deprived, was not able to see my parents, and worse of all, I had to face the fact that I must put up with the suppressed life for another 730 days. And it WAS all compulsory in the end. When I was finally dispatched to my unit, or rather the patrol ship I was first affiliated to, the worst horrible things started. I was weak-minded person, and the reality I was facing was unbearably harsh. The ship was always shivering, or course, it’s in the water, and I had to cook for the all policemen and senior soldiers(combat policemen), do the laundry and cleaning. As we get promoted, another job is offered to each member, but when you are the lowest rank, you have to do the all chores first. Cooking was especially the hardest part because not everyone was an expert with culinary skills, but we, the service members, were all pushed to do it right anyhow, and the ship was always rolling and pitching which gave us motion sickness as well. Whenever I could not make dishes well how the senior officers wanted, and whenever I could not bear myself in ways they wanted, I was also literally beaten up physically. I missed my parents but when I had chances to place a phone call, I could not tell them what was going on because first, I was not allowed to leak anything happened inside, second, even if I could I would not just for letting my parents worry. Anyways, life is harsh sometimes. Some of my comrades dispatched to other areas even DID try to commit suicide, and one had got into a coma and one really died, BUT this was a big mistake. Whatever you are going through once in a while, it can never last forever, (I mean, in some degree), maybe it can be a day, a week, a year of pain that you have to endure, but that would be just another course in life out of many. I could not die because I knew how much my parents loved me and invested on me in every way. And gradually, I started to get a glimpse of my feelings deep inside. ‘I don’t want to die. I just want to get out of this situation as soon as possible!’ – which possibly meant that after all, I desperately wanted to LIVE HAPPILY instead! Oftentimes, your negative emotions lead into hypochondria and veil the hopes and wills to live blissfully. But, please be careful and look deep in yourself; your heart knows what is the thing that you truly desire. Suicidal feeling always has the crave for love and eternal happiness on the back side. (Man, I feel like a preacher today.) Thank you.
I read the personal story of a businessman who attempted suicide, failed, and found a better life.
Suicide is greater tragedy and this is can be effect not only individual but also around people. I read the several linked articles above. Among articles, I particularly impressed ‘Suicide is a wretched problem'(personal story of a businessman). In the article, he tried to commit suicide on several occasions. But this is not easy, so each time he tried, he had failed. After this happens, he have turned over a new life. However, this example is very unique situations. Because, very difficult to change people’s attitudes. In the article, the suicide is like epidemics, some people tends to copy suicides after a widely publicized suicide(‘Werther effect’ is best describes the this happen). Like that, people tend to greatly influenced by their celebrities. There is no obvious solution to the problem, but I think the media played an important part in the this tragic situations. The media play a major role in influencing people’s thinking. Celebrities should lead a campaign against suicide by the media more often. And As like the article makes clear, media should not glamorize the suicides of celebrities, and should feel greater responsibility about media’s significant influence. ‘Korean Association for Suicide Prevention’ is emphasize this slogan ‘All life should be respected and considered precious.’ I really hope this kind of tragedy shouldn’t occur again.
Many people think about suicide when they face hardships: break up with love of one’s life, losing great deal of money, feeling responsibility but when they do not have any solution. When they feel that way, It is essential to solve the problem. Going to a therapist, or a psychiatrist, sharing their problems with spouse might actually help a lot. Nevertheless, in Korean culture, going to a psychiatrist means he/she is mentally ill or insane, and sharing trouble with their spouse or friend is often considered as exposure of their weaknesses. Especially in Korea, there are no effective preventing system for those who cope with suicidal problem. Even when a child is coping with suicidal temptation, they cannot go to see a psychiatrist (their parents will not allow it), because the medical chart of mental clinic will haunt the child until death. He/She can not subscribe to insurance, and it also blocks one to get a job in conglomerates. It can also affect one’s marriage. These kind of prejudice is producing more and more victims. We need to break down these social conventions to prevent suicides.
I read the article from the Economist magazine.
I totally agree with it. It is often considered more valuable to keep one’s appearance and choose death than endure the scornful attention.
I was interested in the first article from the Economist magazine which says that Korea’s competitive mindset and obsession to appearance are one of the major causes of suicide. As the writer said, suicide is not personal problem, but social problem. According to statistic from 2011, People died every 34 minute, and 42.6 people died in a day. Although Korea made remarkable economic success and now became world economy power top 20, strangely the quality of life and happiness has been decreased, but the suicide rate has been gradually increased. The structure of Korea society requires people to make a lot of money and live fiercely and competitively. Korea structure doesn’t give chance to consider the reason why people make money. However, without giving opportunity to think about this question, Korea structure pushes people to make money just for money itself.
When I was high school, I got so much stress from STUDY. I wanted to survive this COMPETITIVE education system, so I studied and studied for entering university, not for my future. I didn’t have time to think about the reason why I have to study, but just studied. So, I had a light depression because of too competitive study, and it was really hard time for 19 years old student. From my experience, I think that such goalless, cramming and competitive education system makes young people to die in the end. To lower the rate of young people’s suicide, we have to firstly reform the education system.
I impressively read the article “Suicide leading cause of death for young people”. So I want to talk about what the article mentioned, suicides of young people. Lately I watched a news that korean a man and a woman who are finding a job destroyed some cars just because finding job is hard. Our generation have gotten higher education than older generation, but it seems tough to get a job. Young people include middle school and high school students are suffering from hard study and parents’ burdensome pressures. We often receive reports suicides of students in high school or university. And it seems that the age is getting younger. That is tragic but I feel like I can understand. I used to study from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m when I was in high school. Almost every korean students did like that. Most teachers and ‘adults’ said that you will be loser if you can’t enter good university or can’t be a top student. Those were a excessive burden to young students. Honestly, even though we have studied harder than old generation, finding a ‘good’ job is also harder. When we face with this social or structural limits, we feel frustration. If we consider the facts, that statistics that are shown in the article are not even surprising. Of course you can think I throw the entire blame on Korean society. But when we think of young people’s suicide, we can’t put social problem aside. We need to take a individual try to solve young people’s suicide problem as well as need to take a social measures.
I could hear lots of news about suicide nowadays. I feel really sorry for them when I hear that and think of what makes them that hard to live. Although it is very hard to live, I think suicide is not the best decision and I shouldn’t do that because life is not that easy thing. I had only one chance to live, and I have to make my life valuable. So, I wonder about the reason why people do suicide.
There are a lot of reasons. Money problem, divorce, Rumor, loneliness, stress, etc. Here is the example about suicide. It really happened. This is my friend’s friend story. He was a kind boy, but his parents got divorce, and he had a stepmother. He had a great interest in painting, art, so he wanted to study about that. However, his stepmother disagreed with him, and she ordered to him that you should study for a doctor. He got stress, and he always had a problem with his stepmother. One day, he jumped from the rooftop in his high school. I am really sorry about him. RIP.. However, on the other side, I blame him because he could talk with her. “I want to do what I want and your words make me crazy. Please, understand me.” Then, they could find the solution. He was only 17 years old. I’m sorry about the rest of his life. He could make it more valuable.
‘Stress’ could be the best reason for the suicide, so I should talk with another people when I get stressed. I and people all around the world should make oneself not to be weak, and I have to remember that suicide is not the best decision to avoid hard time.
C2
“Everything works out in the end. If it doesn’t, it isn’t the end.” This is an anonymous quote i’ve heard a several days ago. These days, a lot if people think that taking their own lives are the only thing they’re in control of, and often, when situations get tough and feel like there’s no way out, they commit suicide. I’ve been indirectly affected by suicide when I was in elementary school. My parents were not home a lot because they were busy supporting us by making money, so me and my sister were often home together. While I was kid, my sister had stepped into the chaotic world of blazing hormones, the teen-ages, so she was chasing boys, reading Danielle Steel, and very moody. She would not talk to anyone in our family and would come home after dark. Being a kid, I could not put things together in my head. I did not understand why she bullied me and refuse to talk to my parents. I remember she was crying and i asked her what was wrong. She told me that her boyfriend broke up with her so she didn’t want to live anymore. She also told me not to tell mother so being the good kid I was, i just kept quiet. One day after school, I was surprised to find my sister at home. I asked her why she was home so early and she just shrugged. Later that night, my sister, who had locked herself in her own room, came out and burst into tears. She said she was dying and she did not want to die. She had swallowed a whole bottle of Tylenol and did not know what to do. I called my mother and she told me to call the ambulance. I waited with my sister until the ambulance came. My mother was faster than them. She left early from work and sped through speed lights. She was so worried. I’ve never seen her like that. My sister left and I wasn’t allowed to go with my mom and sister. Looking back, I don’t think i fully understood the situation. Now, whenever i face hardships, i look back to when I saw my sobbing mother and my father’s terrified face. I remember how scared we all were and that suicide can never be anything but personal. After the whole incident, my parents made the effort to spend more time with us and listen to what we had to say, important or even just mindless talking. My sister never ever did anything so foolish since and nobody talks of it anymore. I guess because nothing turned out well for my sister at the time, it wasn’t really her time to go.
[In a recently released report – “Korea was one of 20 countries that saw a high rate of suicide deaths among the young aged 15 to 19 in 2009.”]
This article makes me sad.
Recently, I can find easily the articles about suicide everyday. Especially, there are many suicide articles in connection with teenagers. They decided to suicide because they were obsessed with stress for study continuously. Although teenagers are required to study to make their lives more comfortable and happy later by their parents, but the study rather let them hard. I heard that Korean teenagers spend an average of 10 hours and 47 minutes a day studying. This rate is much more excessive, compared with other countries. Because I was also student in competitive society, I could understand the teenagers’ mind. However, not to get stress from study, killing themselves is not proper at all. Also, asking teenagers to do excessive study is wrong. This is the real threatening way for them. I hope this tragic suicide caused by ‘study’ does not happen.
I’m interested in the second article ‘Suicide leading cause of death for young people’. I recently read some articles about suicide. One of the articles is about High school student who killed herself because of stress from grades in school and entering university. And another article I read is about KAIST’s student who committed suicide because of anxiety about the future and suffering from an inferiority complex. As these articles show, the leading cause of suicide is a lot of stress from competitive society in Korea. Most high school students study day and night at a school or an institute so as to enter prestigious university. After becoming a university student, they suffer from getting a job. Also, Korean education system makes students keep from doing what they really want to do. For example, the important thing for high school students is to go to a good university, and to enter a large company for university students. So, they cannot have other ambitions that they truly desire to do something. Under these great pressures, students who are unendurable commit suicide in the worst case. I strongly think that if we do not solve the fundamental cause about suicide, suicide rates will be increased continuously.
My heart is heavy whenever I hear the news about suicides of teenagers. In Kyung Buk area alone(including DaeGu), four middle school students have killed themselves since last December. This is very sad and deplorable. Most of the reasons were bully from peers. Family problems and stress from study were also included.
I think students in Korea are generally unhappy. My highschool days are the most miserable and darkest time in my life so far. I came back home around 10:00 p.m., or later (in my senior year). I was forced to study late by the rules. One day I told my teacher that I didn’t want to study late because I was literally stuck in my seat with my head filled with all sort of thoughts irrelevant to study. The teacher said that I should because if a person broke the rule , it would affect other students. That response really disappointed me. This counseling made me think that actually even she didn’t know why students had to study late. The teacher, and most of teachers were helpless. They were just conformists reproducing the hollow cause , going to a prestigious university.
Likewise I think this performance -oriented education drives students more prone to suicide. This is not only because students are stressed out by the pressure. This Korean education perverts students who don’t conform to the institution. Maybe that’s why violence is so prevalent in schools today and bullies are getting more ruthless and vicious, resulting in other peer victims. And in the bully cases, teachers and schools were helpless again.
What if your friend or your family committed a suicide what would you do??? Actually in korea many middle and high school students were commiting a suicide. Why they decided to do that?? and there are posibliiy two reasons ‘Bullying’ and ‘Stress from studying’
Bullying is the most hottest issue in Korea, young students are trying to act like a thug and these students usually target someone and bully him/her, however the fact that they just bully someone with no reasons or ridiculous reasons ,and those who bullied sometimes decided commiting suicide at the end. This is a really huge problem ,so we have to think about stop bullying for preventing suicide.
Second possible reason is a stress. It is general in Korea that going to a good university means going to good company. Sometimes parents were pushing their kids so hard that they couldn’t endure the pressure and finally chose the wrong way.
Committing a suicide is not their own problem, we have to get together ,think what is the reason and solve together.
Prevention of suicidal thought
I am ashamed that average 42.6 people kill themselves every day, and the suicide rate in Korea is the highest among the nations of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). As citizens in Korea, we should think about why Korea has the highest rate. The biggest factor in high suicide rate, as psychology professor Hwang Snag Min said, is because Korean society has a strong important of appearances with having the right education, job or perceived level of success. And I think this view on Korean society gives a mental picture for teenagers. And as a result, teenage suicidal rate is increasing. Unmentionably, suicide is the number one the cause of teenagers’ death. As a person who wants to be an English teacher in near future, I believe suicide factors should be considered my position.
To prevent having suicidal thoughts, first, the government and corporations should try to change social frame such as appearance being a key element of some fields of work. Second, people in educational field, such as teachers, should take care of the learners with love. If the learner has a problem, even if it’s something small, they ought to try to help the learner solve the problem. Moreover, they should respect the learners’ privacy and personality by not overly prying in the learner’s life. Finally, people who have suicidal thought should try harder to find some kind of activity which can help them feel happier. When people do activities that they enjoy, it could be helpful in relieving stress and feel at ease. I think that getting rid of stress is the most important thing to help you to control your mind.
I read a personal story about suicide commitment right before. It was quite incrdible for me to he(main character of story) survived two times every he tried to kill himself. It is too early for him to give up and call it fate. His story could be hopeful stroy for many people who are going through severe experience now. By listening his story, most of people can think that they have also another chance to rise once more and it is too silly to kill themselves even if they don’t want to die. To keep people away commiting suicide, Korea goverment star to held lots of event or lecture for whom want not to live any more. In this story, he was successful to rise again by himself, but I think it is quiet a few case. Therefore goverment or non-organization which works for the poor or the jobless make many chances to regain jobs or help them develople their capacities. Just preventing commint suicide and belowing the rates of it is not important. Like after service, It is more important to care who has a possiblity of committing suicide.
I was very shocked after reading the article on young people committing suicide in Korea. I just can’t imagine those people aged between 15 and 24 are going through so much pain, that it leads them to death. Personally, it’s really hard for me to understand why young people in Korea, especially the teenagers need to study in such competitive atmosphere. I find it hard to fathom how people at remarkably young age actually think seriously about their life and death problem. If studies at school and private educations after school is causing these young people to make them feel ‘I’d rather die and end this life’ Koreans immediately need to change the way of teaching these kids. Education system much change. Parents are obliged to let their child have more free time to enjoy their life, not just pushing them to compete against other students and be the top of them. Also, as a person in 20s, it’s sad to see those people in early 20s are committing suicide due to financial problem. Korean government should really make some different moves to change and prevent these serious problems for the upcoming generations. If university fees are one of its causes, governments should allow those students who are financially weak to pay off their fees separately, e.g. month by month. If the pay that they get from work is not enough, government should make some law that person aged between 20-25 should earn at least 6000 won per hour. It’s time to make some serious changes in Korea so that people at a young age to old, will genuinely desire to live out their life!
I was shocking when I saw the fact of over forty people dying in a day. In the past, I heard that people are mostly dead because of traffic accident. People are now, however, choosing to end their lifes theirselves, accurately I believe, by the problem of social structure system. Yesterday I heard from my roommate saying that I want the end of the world and everybody including I just die. So shocked, I asked her why saying ‘isn’t it sad to end your life or people’s lifes like that?’. Then, she anwsered to me like, “If everybody dies, we don’t have to be competitive like this for struggling to hunt a job.” Surprising? Not only she, but also people around me frequently spit the words like that. In a korean society, you cannot be free from social standard and you exert yourself to the utmost to be ‘the regulated ideal and common person(but, it’s not easy to be common)’. Here’s is the steps you have to follow.
1. Have a four-years unversity degree with the best specs, not just good.
2. Get a job working for company which is known to everybody.
3. Marry in a wedding hall that looks not cheap, luxurious.
Though it’s not more a way of life, everybody graduating from college forced to follow. We don’t have enough time to look back ourselves and care our egos. Then, at a certain point with enormous frustrations a person cannot handle, he or she cannot see any value of a life and leave this world. Now, isn’t it a time to consider this as an alarming problem like disaster killing people terribly even though we cannot see it in front of us?
I read a second article and very shocked.
I’ve even knew the average rate of suicide in a day. Following the article, it reached about 43 people. The number of 43 is big problem in a day! They could make our society to be better and if they have a family, the people- who suffering pain from deaths- are over 100 people for a long time. It’s not a personal problem. It has to deal with public solution of our society. First of all, the people who choose the suicide have a similar reason for their choice. For example, violence in schools, money, relationship with others. We can make them to be happy with just listening their problems and just finding some positive thinking for them!
I saw a news article about 3 days ago. The article was about a girl who chose suicide because of the boyfriend. It was hard not to be stunned, when I read the article. Most of people had the sorrow of parting. Also, it would pass away as time goes by. She just needed a friend who can advice and listen about her story. Before she died, she sent a message to her x-boyfriend and mentioned about her suicide. She even count the number before she jumped out. 10..9…8…. It was a signal to save. She would want to listen just once like positive saying from him. She might want to save. She also was feeling afraid about death.
We have to make a solution about this serious problems. It doesn’t have to be big or be good quality. It must be easy to get there and they have to go to the people themselves. They can make a advertising and many research paper to find people who suffering pains. And they need to care about them as much as possible. The life is most important factor in our society. We must not watch it as a simple problem
I think there are two factors to prevent suicide. One is that they have to feel responsibility not to commit suicide. I read an article before that period of thinking suicide before committing it is longer in adults than adolescents. As people in 30~40 have to think many things – insurance fee, his/her family, and so on. In addition people in those aren’t as impulsive as adolescents thinking lots of things. In sum, I think sense of responsibility is one of the prevention for suicide. Secondly, people feeling suicidal have to make his/her day fully doing lots of activities. It can be working or hanging with other people. As a result, they don’t have enough time to think alone. I saw a research that there is low mortality in the Great Depression, and the reason is that people don’t have enough time to think suicide or give up. They only have to work to get out of the situation. In this respect, people who feel suicidal have to be busy. These two things can be preventions for suicidal.
I chose the first article from the Economist magazine.
As the article says, it has become a common fact that Korea has a high suicide rate regardless of age, social position and financial abilities and so on. It implies that Korean society leads its members to live a hard life and in severe cases, eventually make them to commit a fatal choice which cannot be reversed. As a matter of fact, members of Korean society usually get extreme pressure from many factors. One of them is appearance as Hwang Sang-min, a professor of psychology at Yonsei University in Seoul said. Almost all of Koreans cling to the appearances ignoring inner sides, for instance personality or individuality. Thus, they judge other people only by their appearances and they always try to show good figures to others. That’s why many Koreans eager to have all sorts of plastic surgeries and make tragic mistakes. There are other factors which lead Koreans live a harsh life other than appearances. Koreans have to struggle for good results at school and entering elite Universities in their teens. In their twenties, they have to compete to get a high leveled job. As they grow, they have to deal with lots of things to survive so they easily get burden under the infinite competitive circles. During this process many choose to cease their lives instead of undergoing hardships. This problem is no longer limited to individual but it is a social, national problem that the state has to do something to solve. In fact, Korean government doesn’t pay much attention to its citizen’s mental health. It is a fact that Korea now became an economically advanced country but it need to reflects on its ailing dark side to be a happy country in earnest.
I read this article about relationship between economics and suicide. This artlcle deal with suicide of Park Yong-ha who was popular television actor. He have had worries about family problem and financial difficulties. These things leaded him suicide.
Reading this artlcle, I reminded my highschool days. When I was last year of highschool, I usually wanted to suicide. I was thinking of commiting a suicide almost everyday. Mom used to tell me to die of my test score is not good. On the day I got record card, war was occurred. I always had to beg and vowed get a good score. I did not like the reality. So, I did not want to live on. I thought I am a dead loss because I am not a smart student. I did not want to study anymore. I tried falling down from high places and tried to take rat poison and deliberately run across the street hoping to be run over by cars.
However, I met Jesus Christ at that time and sloved this problem clearly. It needs to divert one’s thought.(from depression to joy/hope) No one can solve suicide. Only himself or herself can overcome this serious situation by changing their mind.
To suicide means that pain was exceeded. It need to theraphy and cure. The reason why people get a pain is daily same life. and in there life many poeple experience a lot of stresses. of course, many doctors say that enough stresses can help human’s health. but I think this is not true in some parts. For example, if a man in the company will experience many of the affairs such as presentation, management of human relationships and so all. these daily affairs can give a pain for him. so, if these stress exceeds an limitaion, then he might be decide to suicide. in this view, to decline suicide we escape same daily life. How? that is nation’s responsibility. Nation have to set rules about company’s worktime limitations. To do this workers can escape same daily life’s stresses. by using this methods, we can reduce suicide rates.
“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”. This is the most impressive sentences in the first article. Most of Koreans are uncomfortable from other’s attention. For me, other’s eyes are very important, and I am always bothered from them, but I cannot ignore. I don’t know what is the exact reason for that phenomena. I just speculate that Korean society always require people the best thing or best result. That makes people feel easily vainness when they could not reach the best. For example, people only remember the first grade but not others after first grade. This was dealt with some of Korean movies like Girls’ High School Ghost Story (여고괴담). To won the first grade, one girl who is always won the second grade killed her friend who won the first grade. I think it is not only the story in the movie, but also can be in reality.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/04/113_109638.html
And this article shows the elitism in Korean society. I totally agree with this article. Like students mentioned in this article, I also studied very hard to get high grade and suffered from academic work throughout the whole school years. I think social structure could not be changed soon. Therefore, other efforts need to overcome the adversities from academic stress. Students would better to use their free time for relieving stress doing some kinds of fun or exciting things such as watching movie, playing sports, and going travel with friends and so on. Actually, Korean student don’t have enough time to spend for leisure activities. To extend students’ free time, school or government reduce the regular class time and give opportunities for extra activities. Above all, I hope that college admission system become more flexible as making various qualification level. Even if education system change, people’s thought about the elitism will not change easily. There should be suggested more realistic conditions alleviating the elitism.
Suicide is a really big social issue thesedays, not only the adults but also students suicide very much. We can easily see news articles about juvenile suicide. They do it because of many reasons such as bullying, test scores and so on. They just jump off from the building.
However, too much news about suicide sometimes accelerate the others to suicide themselves. When we see those cases who suicided himself or herself because of such case or reason, somepeople might think that they are in more serious trouble than those who suicided, this makes some people to choose to die. They just follow the deaths’ choice. We should show people who overcame adversities how they solved the problem, how they think of them. It will help people to choose to overcaome it rather than just suicide.
Suicide is a significant social issue in Korea. We heard that famous celebrities and politicians commit suicide. Nowadays, many people choose suicide in a day. Sadly, a lot of people around us are having thoughts of suicide. If our precious people try to commit suicide, what should we do to stop them? First of all, we have to be well-informed of warning signs. So I found some typical symptoms of people who have thoughts of doing suicide. First, they often say something related death or suicide. Second, they suffer from death of someone very special to them. Then, people avoid social relationships and show signs of drug or alcohol addiction. Last, they give out their precious things. If we know these symptoms, we will be able to protect lots of precious life.
It is very sad and unfortunate that Korea has very high suicide rates. I can definitely recognize that news stories have been dealing with a lot of suicide cases of famous celebrities or students. I believe factors that promote suicide vary. As the second article says, It is not deniable that Korean students get a lot of stress from the pressure to get into a famous and prestige university. It’s because Koreans tend to believe that to graduate from a good university is the only way to live a successful life. This is somewhat true but can be said a blind belief also. In this situation, many students don’t have free time to enjoy their hobbies and persue what they want to do. They are so restrained that they often don’t have a courage to express their opinions or what they feel. As a result, many students feel gloomy and thus they don’t find reasons to keep their lives. In addition to that, the first article says Koreans care about their appearances and want to show their best images. Koreans don’t want to be looked down on by other people because they don’t want to lose their self-respect. I surely understand that it is important to not to hold oneself heap. However, it is unnecessary to be obsessed with thoughts such as ‘What would others think if they found out I didn’t graduate from Seoul National University? It would be horrible. I should pass this exam to be an attorney so people can respect me and envy me my success!’. Also, I think violent media such as online games or sensational movies affect children a lot while they grow up. Many children think killing others is just a ordinary behavior because they have done that a lot while they play online games. Sensational movies can make children impulsive and might lead them to have a problem of control themselves.
I think not only Korea but also many other countries have this problem. Our society are very dull and burdened sometimes. We should be concerned about others and try to share our feelings and love to get out of this dry society and live better lives.
People say that the God gives us the hardships that we can endure. According to the saying, people criticized the people that can not endure hardships and finally commit suicide.Some people think their weakness causes their suicide.When I was treated as an outcast,although I have sincere friends, I want to die because some people hate me.When I sank into deep depression, I was dying for sadness. After the depressing experiences, I realized that no one has right to blame the people who commit suicide. Addition to, I realized what the people needed is a shoulder to cry on.Because indifference of the current society causes the more suicide, suicide becomes the significant problem in current society.Therefore we have to be concerned on people around me.
I agree with the sentence ” Koreans always want to show their best image to other people” In addition, Koreans like comparing oneself with other people. Because of these facts, some Koreans are always depressed and sad easily. Finally, they select the worst choice “suicide”. We need to make strong inner side for reducing suicide rate.
Recently, I was moved by ‘차인표’. He is famous Korea actor. In TV talk show, he said that “An suicide is not an option people can select”. He also said it is important to help each other. Looking into suicides, they commit suicide because of other people’s indifference.
We have to hold hands of people who need help.
Suicide is one of major social problems today. Therefore, lots of researches have been done. There are a number of reasons why people decide to end their lives. According to first article from the Economist magazine, competitive mind is one of reasons for suicide. I truly agree with this idea. As South Korea meets with a great economic growth, economic achievement has become an essential aspect of life. The more people have economic strength, the more they gain high reputation. Consequently, people have begun to compare themselves with others. This non-stop comparing makes people feel depressed and overwhelmed by pressure. If this phenomenon goes further, extreme stress would occur and make people decide to quit their lives. In the article, the statement I agree the most is “Koreans always want to show their best image to other people” In Korea, this perception is common in every area such as clothing, shelter, and wealth. As a result, Koreans suffer from mental illness which comes from tiredness of comparing. Thus, suicide rate in Korea is alarmingly high.
Few years ago, I felt really tired of comparing with other student in studying. Therefore, I became lethargic and gain incredibly high stress. As a consequence, I didn`t want to maintain my life anymore at that time. I am certain that lots of Koreans, especially high school students, feel the same way. Constant competitive society would increase rate of suicide. In conclusion, I think our competitive mind should be mitigated and we should satisfy with our current achievement.
Recently, Kaist’s student commit a suiside. Even though our society regard money, power and so on as happinness, it is not true. Don’t accept it if someone tells you, “That’s not enough to be suicidal about.” There are many kinds of pain that may lead to suicide. Whether or not the pain is bearable may differ from person to person. What might be bearable to someone else, may not be bearable to you. When pain exceeds pain-coping resources, suicidal feelings are the result. Suicide is neither wrong nor right. it is not a defect of character; it is morally neutral. It is simply an imbalance of pain versus coping resourcesthe best coping resource we can give you is another human being to talk with. If you find someone who wants to listen, and tell them how you are feeling and how you got to this point, you will have increased your coping resources by one.
Dear Ray,
I can’t help but notice that you copied and pasted 90% of your comment from the link above. Perhaps next time you could write your own ideas.
When I went to the department store with my parents, niece and nephew, my parents made me upset by buying some clothes to my nephew and niece. I understood the clothes were so expensive to buy them for their grandchildren. My father noticed that I had felt bad about it so that he wanted me to explain why our parents’ generation give those expensive things to us without any conditions.
Korea’s rapid economic growth in the 1970s contributed to have a better standard of living to our parents who are in their fifties. Our parents weren’t very rich, and they couldn’t receive a proper education despite eager to learn. They don’t want to let their children poor or painful by hunger not as hard as it which they felt in 1970s. Basically, Children who have grown up without any difficulty under their parental roof become more selfish and self-esteem. So, children are depressed, frustrated about a little work easily, and take a pessimistic view of life. Finally, they are choosing to commit suicide.
Teenagers who don’t have enough skill to control themselves are exposed without protection to various harmful environments such as movies, drama, or internet communities that are caused increase of suicide rate. The most influential factor is the death of celebrity. It can beautify the suicide for weak children.
In conclusion, it is not only serious social issue but also a huge issue of family.
Everyday on average 42.6 people kill themselves, and the suicide rate here is the highest among the nations of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. We should try to understand their emotional change rather than to fill things that they need in a material way.
Nowadays suicide is major problem in our society. why did they kill themselves so easily ? I think that it is because “Werther effect”. for example, in our country, korea , very famous actor killed herself. Only few weeks after her death, I heard that many people easily took their own life like her ways. I think these people wants to be a hero like their favorite stars. If they attempted suicided, they feel that they become like their super hero. So their super stars death influence their lives easily.
Then, why many people commit suicide so easily? In my opinion, this is because the lack of attention. As the time goes by, we live in an age of information. So we hardly spend our time with other people like family and friends. We have to get many new information in the cyber world. This cause our mental diseases. We often feel loney.
We have to attend our neighborhood or friends. If they got a mental disease such as depression, this people need to have other people’s love. however this days no one think about other person’s life . because they only think about their own life. it’s age of individualism.
In conclusion, people killed their lives because of the Werther effect and the lack of attention,. Therefore, we have to spend time together and prevent us from solitude.
No matter what the reason is, killing one self can be the most tragic way of ending its life. However for the past decade, suicidal rate has increased tremandously as economic growth soars up. What an ironical situation this is. With our country being one of the economically strong nations in the world, the social demand and pressure to become competitve are placing huge burdens on us. Eventually rather than having sense of self and fulfilling inner their inner selves, people are tend to easily feel emptiness and be anxious about their existance by comparing oneself with another. It really is true that suicide has become a serious social phenomenon through which people are seeking to find a breakthrough from their stressful and backbreaking reality. I am not blaming this person who had comitted suicide twice to run away from his miserable life but it certainly is pitiful that he took the most precious gift given by God which is life not so seriously. If only he had known how his families and friends who love and care about him would go through after loosing a valuable companion, he would not make such a foolish mistake.
Soojpoo (c2)
Why people do suicide? Just can’t they bear the pain which exceed their limitation? Going over the article of Economist, I thought the reason why people do suicide.
It needs to focus on philosophical access. Have you ever heard about “lemming effect”, which comes from the behavior of lemming that is a species of rats? This lemming effect explains a copy of behavior that leads to suicide. The lack of ego comes from the weakness and ignorance of knowing oneself: what I want to do, what I am and etc.
What made us being lack of ego? As I think, especially in Korea way of education and competitive mindset make the environment of ignorance about oneself. The ignorance makes emptiness and lack of self-regard that make Korean society strongly focusing on appearances to avoid fear of ignorant status about oneself. It precludes people from being oneself.
I think that is why many Korean people choose suicide. To prevent suicide, we need to give people the chance to think about themselves.
In the first article, writer argue that Korea is competative country. and because of that the country Korea became more strong economic performance. but because of competative sprit. Koreans suicide rates became more serious.
According to Prof. Hwang sang min. to survive from this atmosphere Korean should look like as if they are perfect. such as well educated and have good job’s. also he noted ‘but when this cannot be maintained, it can lead to a desire simply to “give up”’.
The case of Park yong ha is such an example of this theory. he worry’s about his popularity in Korea and father’s sickness. so he became suffering depression and in the end he suicide himself.
In this article, the depression is brought by competative atmosphere.
I also think that this atmoshpere causes this suicide problem. however we should not be noncompetative. we should find the way which can revive who fail’s.
Numerous young people who will lead Korea in the future choose to take their lives. According to a recent research from the Information Center for a Better Society, Suicide is the leading cause of death for young people aged between 15 and 24. The center mentioned that the cause of these burgeoning suicides is the problem of our social structure in terms of education and economy system. I personally believe that especially education system is driving more and more young people to commit suicide.
Excessive competitions for entrance exams make young people too stressful. From they are in primary school to university, even when they want to get a job, they are judged by test result and reputation of their schools. Ranks are therefore the most important and pressuring indicator. The more students are facing stiff competition, the more students are falling behind in the competition. The society hardly gives other options for those who are not interested in study or dropped out of races. It gives them low self-esteem and confidences which make them feel extremely ashamed of themselves.
In addition, Kids do not have enough time and chances to map out their career path. A large number of young people do not know what they really want to do or what they want to be. They usually follow the wishes of parents and teachers; in most cases, just study and go to the most prestigious universities and work for major companies. As a result, they are unhappy because they play passive role in their lives.
For these reasons, many young people choose tragic and untimely deaths in early ages. Therefore, educational reform and complete change in attitude toward young people are urgently needed.
In korea society, suicide is a final way to someone who has trouble in their lives.
It is even recent trend to suicide easily.
I can’t understand why they chose that way.
People think that ‘I am the hardest man in the world.’
By the way, just take a look around.
There are too many the needy to do not want to live more.
If they choose to suicide, world population would decrease.
In any case, suicide is never to be permitted to everyone.
Although who died, our society will be well managed as if nothing had happened.
It is awful, but it’s harsh and gloomy reality.
Wake up to the stern realities of life.
Then, just go with the flow.
If you start to effort to live it once, everything else is liveable.
I’m gonna talk about the story of a businessman who attempted suicide, failed, and found a better life.
I was so surprised when i read that every day on average 42.6 people kill themselves, and the suicide rate is the highest among the nations of the OECD.
These days, suacide is really a big issue and a serious problem in Korean society.
As mentioned above in the article, suicide is not a personal matter but a serious social issue and an urgent national challenge.
For example, in KAIST university, many young students killed themself because of their bad grade.
When i hear the suicide news, I was so sad.
Why should they kill themself?!
There are a lot of reasons such as grade or stressful work.
But, the most important reason is, I think, lack of love.
If other students care them and give a little concern to them who killed themself
they would not commit suicide.
And of course, we should learn to love ourself.
I read article about businessman who attempted suicide, failed, and found a better life. I saw a lot of people who attempted to suicide in my life sadly. Some of them were actually dead. I have sad story about suicide which I could stop that tragic. When I was military, there was a private signal man who had just came in military. He didn’t get along with other colleague, and very missed his girl friend. He always called her when time was available. After few days, I finished my night shift and went rest lounge to eat some noodle before sleep. Entering the room, there was someone in the dark. It was him and he was on phone call without light. It wasn’t allowed to phone call at the night but I knew his tough circumstance so I kelp his secret and let his phone call. After that day, I heard some rumor about his that he broke up his girl friend but I showed apathy because I wasn’t close with him. One day, I saw every people rushing to the warehouse with crazy shouting. He hanged himself there. Everybody shocked this tragic and regreted each one of us. I also felt regret because I had felt about his mental weakness. I could advise and help him but I kept apathy to him. I realize that a small interest can stop suicide. Most of suicide people lack other’s interest so they try to get some interest from others. So we should get some interest to something and someone around us, and It can actually stop suicide a lot.
I read the article about a businessman,
In 1998, there were so many suicides were attempted because of the depression in economy. I was very young that I coudn’t understand why. I just thought to live in poor condition is better than dying. I have regarded them(who attempted suicide) as stupid person defected in their mind. But my thought have changed as times go by.
When I served in army, was appointed as counceler to prevent suicide of soldiers in our battery. At that time, I could understand how peoples’ mind can be changed. As many people knows, there are many factors make people attempt suicide. Fails, broke up with partner, feeling of isolated…Whatever affects, the important reason is they feel like they are alone. They think nobody can help them and there is no way to solve their problem even they are just suffered from very tiny stuff. So not to advice them but just listening to their words can improve their feeling. When they feel they are not alone anymore, they may start to having hope to live their life. Sometimes people’s mind can be very fragile, so to prevent our neighbor’s suicide is to give them our concern and interest.
I have known the fact that Suicide has reached alarmingly high rates in Korea with over forty individuals a day choosing to end their lives.
For these reasons, I think there are two major reasons such as individual reasons and social reasons. Firstly, the individual reason is that personalities and situations of people are different from each other. For examples, weak-willed people or melancholiacs would subsucide more easier in difficult situations rather than normal people. Secondly, There are social reasons such as structual reason and economic reason. Even if subsucide is an individual problem, the high rate seems to be a social problem. For examples, when there is an economically diffculty situation, we would see many articles of the subsucide and this situation is resulted by the structure and the economy of society.
Nowadays, deciding when to end one’s life is being a choice by many people from all over the world. However, people all over the world are focused on South Korea for suicidal. Everything starts at a sense of loss of something. For example, loss of health, love, business, power, pride and honor. All these start as a depression than grow and grow as a suicide. It is very important to receive a treatment through psychotherapy constantly, but in our country, only 33% of people are counseled and receives psychotherapy. On the other hand, the rest of the people are suffering from one but does not treat it correctly. These happen because most people think of psychotherapy as a negative part of the person. Many people think this way because our society has a bad judgment about receiving psychotherapy. We need to improve ourselves at once to help the rest of the 67% of the people who suffer from depression. I am sure there is Korean Association for Suicide Prevention but the experts need more people and money. What they are given from the country is ridiculously not enough to save all those people.
I know few who tried several times and for goodness they are still here with me but I wasn’t really a help to them at that time. I wanted to help but my mind was apart. I’m one of those who think consultation with a psychiatrist is perfectly normal and sometimes I need one too.
I read all articles professor posted and I want to talk about the leading cause of teenager’s suicide. In article, the writer said there’s a serious problem within our social structure in terms of education. I agree with him. Actually, when I was in middle school and high school, I got lots of stressed out. The only thing I was concerned about was scores on exams. And I had to go to a private educational institute called Hakwon after 10 p. m at which high school classes were finished. Sometimes I cried out, when my grades dropped on the important exam. The college entrance exam was overwhelming. Some students still regard the entrance exam as the only one chance to go to university. I think an atmosphere of society makes this phenomenon. Teachers, parents and society emphasize the importance of being attended in university at once and entering university as it is. So, they are always pushing students study, study and study. Students need enough time to sleep, hang out with friends, and talk with parents. It is very helpful to prevent students from taking their own lives. However, adults do not seem to know that fact. They think it is waste of time. Adults and society should change their mind. Giving more free time to the students, talking with their children, and telling the students about many possibilities of their lives can keep teenager from suiciding.
I forget to write ‘to’ after ‘pushing students’
When I was 19 years old, I thought that I can maybe understand suicide people’s feeling ans thought a little. At that time I was a high school student. I was fed up with studying. Also, many things are come to me a sad. I always make sad and gloomy. I can’t focus on studying and my score was decreasing. And it became a reason of my sadness. It was bad cycle, I can’t solve my problem. I thought there isn’t a solution. I want to live but I can’t have confidence. Moreover I thoght If I tried to suicide, people would be know my sadness and how I was tired. Sometimes I imagined suicide or the situation that after my suicide, of course just imagine. I don’t have enough courage to try to suicide. After finished the Korean SAT, I went to university. I lived in dorm and meet many friends. I don’t have a time to think about sad thought. And I can be happy. To who think about suicide, I want to tell them please try to go another site. Try to go new where. You could think about another thing not gloomy thought. And meet people, please talk with them, spend time with them. You don’t need to solve the problem or talk about your problem. Just if you talk with them you can not have a time to think about suicide or sad thought. Do not be alone.
I think the fact that ‘always ranked the 1st in suicide rate among OECD’ is very sad thing to us. Koreans know this fact well and I think Koreans also know about the reason. We can find the problem of this phenomenon in that sentence – Koreans always want to show their best image to other people. Like this sentence, Koreans always be conscious of others’ gaze. Because of this, many Korean children heard “Look your friends. They are better than you. You have to strive yourself to compete with them” from their parents. Effects of these sentences, we compare ourselves with others in society. This Korean excessive competition structure make people tired. This makes people to think “I am not better than that people”, “I’m not happy,I’m worthless people”, and these thought lead to suicide.
To solve this problem, I think we have to relieve these social pressure that we have to success in society.
These days, many young people have many problems such as grade, entrance examination, bullying, family and friend relation. According to the second article, suicide is the leading cause of death among young people, and even suicide claim more lives than traffic accident for years. The study is very shocking. I recently heard lots of news that a man kills himself because of poverty and a young student commits suicide because of bullying and so on. Particularly, young students’ suicide has become a social issue. A middle-school girl jumped to her death because she was ostracized by his friends. And another boy committed suicide for the same reason. Violence in schools and bullying become serious problem in these days. Also, young students suffer from examination hell. As they are living in highly competitive society, young students are under heavy stress. Also, they are stressed out by their academic records. So, if their grade goes down, they are very frustrated. Then, some students elect suicide. For recent years, KAIST university students committed suicide because of their grade. They couldn’t stand the frustration of being behind their friends at school although they are brilliant and elite. Besides grade, university student are suffering from many problems like unemployment crisis, career, relations and anxiety about the future. We must try to change the competitive socialism. If we couldn’t change fierce competition society, suicide rate will not decrease.
Like the second article above, I can easily see news about teens’ suicide nowadays. Everytime I read articles about youngsters’ suicide, I would feel heavy. The second article says that the rate of suicide is higher than the rate of traffic accidents among the death of young people aged 15 to 24, and it made me shocked. Then, WHY those young people kill themselves?
I found the answer from the first article, especially from the professor Hwang Sang-min’s argument : ‘Korean society’s strong focus on appearances’. It means that Korean people would pay attention to others’ eyes, and they become frustrated unless they get proper reaction. For young people, the ‘proper reaction’ can be an exam grade, friends’ favor, and parents’ attention. Among those factors, I think the most influential reason is the exam grade. In Korea, most of students feel too much pressure because of schoolwork. People generally believe a university diploma is a shortcut to success. Therefore parents and teachers gives their children great strain to put them into university in the first class, then this leads the children to be depressed. In this highly competitive society, our young people have no time to care themselves because they are too busy paying attention to others. I think this suffocated Korean social condition puts the young people into the great fear, depression and at the end, suicide.
What is your internet page when you stat internet? Maybe there are various answers such as NAVER, DAUM, NATE, GOOGLE, YAHOO. Next question. What site do you use when you search information in internet? If you are Korean or use Korean or live in Korea, the probability of answering ‘NAVER’ is more than 70%.
In the late in 1990s and the early in 2000s, the most powerful site is YAHOO and the next is daum or hanmir not naver. At that time, NAVER was just one of the many website and didn’t have special merits.
The driving force of naver being the most powerful site is ‘네이버 지식인’ (NAVER Knowledge in). It is the way that the user ask a question and another user answer the question. Before the birth of ‘네이버 지식인‘, YAHOO is head of share of search market and share of pageview. In 2012 January, share of search market of NAVER is 72% and share of pageview of NAVER is 45%.
Therefore, ‘네이버 지식인’ which makes this new dominions is game changer.
http://www.economist.com/node/16542639
I personally agreed with this article about sucide in Korea. Especially, I agreed with this sentence.“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”.
When I was in high school days I thought I can go to famous universities in Seoul. And my friends who were not smarter than me went in to famous universities , but I came here in Suwon. So at that time I was really sad and didnt really liked about my self because I had high expecation about myself. After the high school I didnt meet my high schools friends. Because I felt like they were looking down on me. So I personally agree with suicide. If that person is not happy in this society he or she dont have to live for it. I think its brave decision to make.