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Celebrity deaths
spark concern over South Korea's suicide rate
The recent deaths of two South Korean female stars has cast the
spotlight on the country's alarming suicide rate, with experts
warning that a wave of copycat deaths might follow.
Actress Jeong Da-Bin and pop singer Yuni, two high-profile young
women with successful careers, were both found hanged in the past
few weeks, sparking concern in South Korea, which has the highest
suicide rate of all Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) members.
Police said Saturday Jeong, 27, had been found dead in the bathroom
of her boyfriend's apartment in Seoul, having apparently succumbed
to a bout of depression over a recent shortage of work.
Her case was startlingly similar to that of Yuni, who was found
hanged in her home in Incheon City on January 21. Her death shocked
fans, who were waiting for the release of her third album.
"I am worried that a wave of copycat suicides might follow among
youths," said Na Sun-Young of Lifeline Korea, which provides a
telephone counselling service aimed at preventing suicides.
"Following the death of Yuni, I received many calls from young
people who said they themselves were thinking about committing
suicide. They were saying they had to die because even someone as
beautiful as Yuni could not stand it and committed suicide," she
said.
She noted that in March 2005, a wave of copycat suicides hit South
Korea in the month after 24-year-old film star Lee Eun-Joo took her
own life.
South Korea's suicide rate has more than doubled in the past
decade, from 11.8 per 100,000 people in 1995 to 26.1 per 100,000 in
2005, and on average 38 people a day take their own lives, official
records show.
The National Statistics Office attributes the high suicide rate to
economic hardship in the aftermath of the 1997 financial
crisis.
Concern about the high suicide rate has led to a bill aimed at
providing counselling and medical treatment for potential victims
being introduced to parliament for approval.
Oh Seung-Geun, a researcher at the state-financed Korea Institute
for Youth Development, said suicide was the biggest cause of death
among men in their twenties, but was often hidden.
"I think the reality is much more serious than is reported," he
said.
Experts say young people can develop more permissive attitudes to
suicide as a result of the glorification of victims and their
deaths. Media coverage of high-profile deaths is also to blame,
they believe.
"Sadness and sympathy overwhelm reason in this kind of atmosphere,"
said Oh, adding that surveys showed many young Koreans believe they
have the right to take their own lives.
The deaths of Yuni and Jeong also highlighted the potentially
harmful effects of cyber attacks on celebrities. Both had
reportedly suffered such attacks on their Internet sites.
"Many Internet users, taking advantage of anonymity, have made a
hobby of writing malicious messages on websites, accusing
celebrities of sex scandals or (having) plastic surgery," Oh
said.
"Measures must be taken to curb this undesirable phenomenon."
(source: Yahoo! News)
