Friction from inter-personal relationships is one of the biggest reasons people commit suicide, a Life Insurance Philanthropy Foundation survey has found.
The finding was based on a review of four years of calls to the “SOS life phone” line from 2011. These are telephones designed to induce people thinking of suicide to make that last call that might save their life, or for people who see a person attempting suicide to call 119.
The foundation set up the phones in July 2011 on the Mapo and Hannam bridges. There are now 61 telephones on 16 bridges nationwide.
In the four years to July 2015, a total of 3,679 people have called. The main cause of concern was inter-personal friction (28.7 percent), including problems with lovers, friends and social adjustment.
Problems with employment and worries about the future accounted for 25.1 percent of calls, while loneliness and helplessness made up 17.5 percent. Family affairs concerned 14.8 percent of callers, while about 8 percent were contemplating suicide because of economic worries.
Of the 3,679 callers, 550 went home with the help of the 119 rescue unit while 3,129 were believed to have returned home after the call.
Korea’s suicide rate is the highest among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) members. According to Statistics Korea’s 2013 figures, about 28.5 people per 100,000 committed suicide, which is more than double the OECD average of 12 per 100,000.