Image: Statista
South Korea currently holds one of the highest suicide rates globally. According to the World Population Review, this stands at 28.4 per cent, attributing it to ‘elderly isolation’, though more concerningly ‘academic pressure on students’. Suicide is not an uncommon occurrence in South Korea, and it is well-known around the world for its high suicide ranking, alongside Russia and South Africa. The problem of suicide has been ever present in Korean society for several years, notably as a consequence of the financial crisis of 1997.
Academic Pressure on Korean Students
Between 2007 and 2012, The Korea Times reported ten suicide-related deaths at the prestigious Seoul National University (SNU). The concerning number of young people who take their own lives remains a reflection of the academic pressure placed on students, who are expected to work amidst a gruelling study schedule, in order to compete to gain approval from academics and family members whilst balancing a social life and mental health. On October 13, 2023, an unnamed graduate student at Seoul National University was found dead in the campus' Central Library (Kwangjeong), leaving behind a simple note that stated “studying is hard”.
The Kyungyang Shinmun reports that close friends of the victim expressed dismay at their loss, but also a sense of understanding of the pressures the victim faced. reflection of the incident, Nina Schwienbacher, 22, an exchange student from Northern Italy, claims that ‘it feels wrong how no one was talking about it; it’s such a taboo here’. This rhetoric of surprise is found amongst most exchange students, despite Koreans expressing little shock, taking on a more passive tone. Contrastingly, Seohyung Lee, 22, claimed that “it’s concerning in Korean society that we don’t talk about suicide rates that mostly happen to teenagers and the elderly… In other countries, the age range is not as significant.”
But why is studying in Korea much harder? What exactly is distinct about Korean education that makes it one of the toughest education systems globally? Firstly, having seen first-hand the study culture of South Korea’s most prestigious university, I have noticed that students at Seoul National University tend to take up to seven courses per semester from various academic disciplines. Additionally, they are expected to be rigorously involved in extracurricular activities such as student club memberships, volunteering, and engaging in work experience or internships, that require weekly evening and weekend commitments. Generally, students in higher education abide by custom and stay at home with their parents, so naturally having a reduced social life compared to students who live away from home. These factors contribute to students’ well-being and can more than likely impact their mental strength.
Despite this, one student, aged 21, who prefers to remain anonymous, stated that ‘university is easier than middle and high school’, where younger students are pushed even harder to work up to sixteen hours a day to maintain a high level of performance. There, academic expectations are unparalleled beginning at middle school (ages 10-15), where education is highly test-focussed, continuing to high school (ages 15-18), where there is more of a rigid and hierarchical emphasis on academic achievement at the peril of encouraging creativity and innovation. Students between the ages of 15 and 19 often use an after-hours tutoring system called hagwon, which Time magazine reported in 2011 as an intense method of rigorous after-school schooling that outperforms every other country’s education system, at the cost of students’ well-being. College entrance exams further add to this insurmountable national pressure which determines students’ future career and academic prospects.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) in 2015, South Korea is one of the highest-performing nations in reading, literacy, mathematics, and sciences, subsequently producing one of the highest educated labour forces. Success in Korean education is essential for social mobility and is a source of pride in families. The stress of high academic performance at a young age to guarantee a higher socioeconomic status in one’s future adds pressure to not fail, and more importantly to avoid facing societal prejudice. This prejudice has wider consequences for one’s life chances of having a lower socio-economic status and low marriage prospects. The typical route of graduating from an esteemed university and working for a ‘white-collar’ organisation is deemed highly successful, with other pathways being perceived as less so.
Such a level of pressure is also seen at a postgraduate level as students compete for ‘white-collar’ jobs and internships while occasionally facing exploitation by academic staff through doing unpaid work, mostly unrelated to their studies. Students of such circumstances, often avoid reporting incidents of being overworked or exploited, for fear of being manipulated with poor grades. With such a high workload and pressure on young people to experience success in later life, the decline in mental health seems unsurprising, and the suicide problem for young people remains ever-present.
Overworked K-Culture stars make up a large proportion of suicide cases in young people
In other sectors like the entertainment industry, particularly in the world of ‘K-Culture’ where Korean pop star musicians, actors and actresses deal with the pressures of social media bullying and high beauty standards, suicide is very common. Over several years, this has led to high-profile cases reported in the media. One that particularly affected the public was musician, Park Yong-ha, aged 32 in 2010, who struggled to balance his hectic music career alongside his father’s deteriorating health. This was not the first to occur and certainly not the last. Actress Jeong Da-bin was speculated to have faced severe depression that resulted in her suicide case in early 2007. Only a month prior, the death of 25-year-old pop singer U;Nee was also ruled a suicide. However, the year 2019 was a particularly dark one for K-stars according to The Economic Times. Cases such as Choi Jin-ri, aged 25, better known as ‘Sulli’, member of girl group f(x)) and Goo Hara, aged 28 in 2019, both faced tragic ends. The death of Korean actor Cha In-ha, aged 27, was the third suicide noted in that year.
What appears more striking, however, was the bold case of former ‘Wanna One’ band member Kang Daniel, who posted on his fan portal troubling messages in December 2019. Fortunately, there was no suicide, but he was later in treatment for anxiety and depression whilst being treated on antidepressants, an ironically more uncommon occurrence due to the societal judgement Koreans face for mental health treatment. The rigorous training schedules for performances, expectations for a perfect public image, and strong social media presence are no foreign concepts in today’s globalised society. Those in the entertainment industry face similar struggles across the world, but suicide rates in Korean entertainment are unmatched in other parts of the world. Thus, the stigma surrounding mental health in dealing with high expectations in K-Culture and education needs to be met with open discussion.
Elderly lonliness is a prominent factor in suicide cases of this demographic
The other demographic known for a high number of suicide-related deaths in South Korea is the elderly. A report by MDPI Healthcare in 2022 reported that older adults are more likely to face suicide and depression than any other demographic in South Korea, attributing this to ‘bio-psycho-social difficulties’, such as social isolation after retirement, physical immobility, and socioeconomic disadvantage in particularly in rural areas. With cultural and societal foundations in Confucian teachings, it’s surprising that the elderly are amongst the highest demographic of suicide cases in South Korea, when one of the most significant Confucian teachings of ‘filial piety’ (meaning to care for one’s elders), is still prevalent.
Further to this, younger generations are seen to be leaving South Korea for other countries to obtain alternative standards of living, oftentimes leaving the elderly population to remain. Not only does this contribute to the already aging population and declining fertility rate, but also to the loneliness of elderly people. Age discrimination is another important factor that the elderly face, particularly in social spaces and the workforce. Many cafes exist which are strictly for ‘no-seniors’, as well as facing rejections in jobs due to their age. With these values and beliefs, it doesn’t seem surprising that the elder population fall into a lonely, depressive state.
Conclusion
Studies and research on the suicide problem have been conducted for some time, and the issue has certainly been acknowledged in the media as well as by the government, whilst gaining international attention. Despite this, the root of the problem of mental health has not been addressed. What is required, is for steps to be taken towards deconstructing the stigma of mental health, and the alienation felt by overpressured students, over-worked K-Culture stars, and the lonely elderly population. Suicide prevention organisations certainly do exist, but to what extent are these considered effective? How can Korean education maintain a healthy competition so to reduce pressure on students, and what measures are necessary to protect the elderly population from mental decline?
Share This Post On
0 comments
Leave a comment
You need to login to leave a comment. Log-in
