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South Korea’s suicide rate edged up last year and remains the highest in the developed world, a sign that the effects of the epidemic are long-lasting.
About 13,300 South Koreans committed suicide, or 26 per 100,000 people, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Tuesday. The ratio rose slightly from 25.7 in 2020, which was already the highest among OECD countries.
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South Korea broke its own record for the world’s lowest fertility rate last year, and suicide rates have risen, recent figures show. Policymakers have done little to address these issues, underscoring the social woes of one of Asia’s most successful economies.
Song Min-ki, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Financial Studies, said suicide rates tend to rise when the economy is underperforming, although the timing may not be exactly the same. The unemployment rate briefly hit its highest level since 1999, even as the economy rebounded from a pandemic-induced recession last year.
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Fears of an economic downturn have grown this year, putting more pressure on household and business finances as interest rates rise to tame inflation.
Experts say other reasons for South Korea’s high suicide rate include school and work stress, shame about seeking help for depression and a lack of social protection for older adults.
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