This file photo shows a special phone installed on Mapo Bridge over Seoul’s Han River, which is a well-known suicide spot. The phone connects a person directly to crisis counseling as part of efforts to prevent suicide. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — While South Koreans are now less exposed to the risk of depression and anxiety following the end of social distancing measures, those who are considering suicide has gone up proportionally since the pre-COVID era.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare conducted a nationwide survey of 2,063 adults in June, which showed that people at risk of depression accounted for 16.9 percent of all respondents, the lowest since March 2020.
However, it is still five times higher than in the pre-COVID era in 2019 (3.2 percent).
Sorted by age, respondents in their 30s were the most numerous (24.2 percent). By gender, there were more women (18.6 percent) than men (15.3 percent). Those who have experienced income cuts (22.1 percent) accounted for more than other groups (11.5 percent).
Among the respondents, 12.7 percent had considered suicide, which was higher than March 2022 (11.5 percent). It was also higher than the early pandemic era in March 2020 (9.7 percent).
It was three times higher than in the pre-pandemic era in 2019 (4.6 percent).
“Despite the end of social distancing and a return to normal everyday life, there are still people struggling financially and with isolation. For them, the level of relative deprivation will be even higher,” said Hyun Jin-hee, a professor of social welfare at Daegu University who spearheaded the study.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
