Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Local governments actively seek to prevent COVID-led suicides
This Jan. 23, 2018 photo shows a special phone installed on the Mapo Bridge over Seoul's Han River, which connects a person considering suicide by jumping off the bridge directly to a counselor, as part of efforts to prevent suicide. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
Social distancing, strict regulations on gatherings, and remote meetings have become the new normal since the COVID-19 outbreak, and the protracted pandemic has been taking a toll on people's mental health.
Studies have indicated that the number of people thinking about suicide could increase, given that the pandemic has been continuing for over a year and there is no end in sight.
According to a 2020 survey conducted by the Korean Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the rate of people experiencing suicidal thoughts grew as the pandemic went on, from 9.7 percent in March, to 10.1 percent in May and 13.8 percent in September of last year. The September figure was nearly three times higher than 2018's 4.7 percent.
Amid this situation, local governments across the country are working on suicide prevention measures to protect residents' lives, out of concern that social isolation and economic difficulties could lead to an increase in the number of suicides.
Among the eight special and metropolitan cities nationwide, Busan, which has the highest suicide rate ― 30.1 suicides per 100,000 people in 2019 ― has set a goal of reducing the rate to 25.6 by 2025.
To this end, the Busan Metropolitan Government plans to train 50,000 people, or 1.5 percent of its citizens, as “lifeguards” to spread the culture of respecting life, as well as to expand the number of counselors at mental health care centers.
It also seeks to establish a suicide prevention safety net in cooperation with the Busan Pharmaceutical Association (BPA). The Busan Metropolitan Government will provide education programs to pharmacists, to train them as “gatekeepers,” playing a role in suicide prevention.
“The role of pharmacists is important, as pharmacies are highly likely to be visited by people at high risk of suicide,” said Byun Jung-seok, the president of the BPA, citing people buying sleeping pills to overdose with.
The hope is that if pharmacists identify key markers in individuals with suicide plans, they could provide consultation and guide people to receive professional assistance, Byun said.
Busan City has also been running a support program for bereaved families of suicide through a mobile app that was developed by the Busan Metropolitan Mental Health and Welfare Center last year. If users upload information on their mental and physical condition anonymously, experts will provide them with psychological counseling.
The Nam District Office in Busan will launch the “Super Hero” project this year, using grocery stores in underdeveloped areas.
The project came from the idea that owners of small neighborhood grocery stores, which have operated in the same place for a long time, form deep ties with residents in the local community.
It was also taken into account that residents with limited living areas, or people with depression, who are at high risk of suicide, prefer small groceries in their neighborhood instead of large supermarket chains.
Employees and owners of these grocery stores are provided with education on how to notice those at high-risk of suicide. If they see a resident showing signs of depression or suicidal attempts, they can immediately request cooperation from the regional health authorities.
Graphs of suicide rates are posted on the wall of the Korea Suicide Prevention Center building in Seoul in this Jan. 23, 2018 photo. Korea Times file
Other local governments have also begun to carry out suicide prevention projects for the vulnerable.
The Gwangju Metropolitan Government is conducting suicide prevention education and mental health counseling for small business owners who have been hit hard, due to government-imposed operation restrictions amid social distancing measures during the pandemic.
The South Chungcheong Provincial Office is conducting a joint research study with mobile carrier KT to analyze the causes of suicide among its residents, as well as to study domestic and overseas suicide prevention policies and cases.
Through the study, it plans to come up with a platform that can detect signs of suicidal attempts as early as possible.
The Incheon Metropolitan Government plans to install lighting in areas where suicides frequently occur. In particular, along with POSCO Energy, it is seeking to install a safety railing on Sicheon Bridge in the Gyeongin Ara Waterway, where many suicides and attempted suicides occur.
In 2019, Korea recorded the highest suicide rate among 29 OECD countries, with 13,799 suicides.
An average of 37.8 people a day took their lives. The total annual number of suicides increased by 109 from 13,670 in 2018.
In 2018, the government announced goals and measures to reduce the suicide rate to 17 per 100,000 people by 2022, but the suicide rate was then already on the rise for two consecutive years.
The country's suicide death toll last year has yet to be tallied, but the rate is expected to be higher than it was in 2019, based on the personal difficulties many have suffered during the pandemic.
“As suicide is not entirely a matter of individual choice, we are pushing for various measures, but it is difficult to achieve results in a short period of time due to social and structural complications,” a Busan city official said. “We plan to identify the characteristics of suicide that occur due to economic and social reasons, and systematically focus on support customized according to those,” he said.