Using satellite monitoring data, the organization reported South Korea’s particulate matter levels at 25.9 micrograms per cubic meter, the highest of any member country and more than double the 13 microgram level in neighboring Japan. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 25 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s suicide rate declined in 2023 but remained the highest among countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to a government report, which also highlighted rising rates of sex crimes and drunk driving in the country.
The report, “Korea’s Safety Report 2023,” released on April 25 by Statistics Korea, showed the suicide rate fell to 25.2 deaths per 100,000 people last year, a 3.2 percent decrease from 2021.
While suicides in South Korea have been on a downward trajectory since reaching a peak of 28.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2013, the nation’s rate was more than double the OECD average of 10.7 in 2020, the latest year with available comparative data.
South Korea was the only OECD member with a suicide rate above 20 per 100,000 that year, far outpacing Lithuania, which had the second-highest rate at 18.5 deaths per 100,000 people.
The report also found that South Korea continued to have some of the highest levels of fine dust pollution among OECD nations.
Using satellite monitoring data, the organization reported South Korea’s particulate matter levels at 25.9 micrograms per cubic meter, the highest of any member country and more than double the 13 microgram level in neighboring Japan.
One area of significant concern was a sharp 25.9 percent spike in reported sex crimes last year to 41,433 cases, following several years of declines. Analysts cited increased reporting by victims amid greater social awareness of sex crimes, as well as a rise in digital offenses like cyber sexual exploitation.
In another trend that statisticians warned merited renewed attention, the percentage of South Korean adults who drove after drinking held steady at 3.3 percent, following years of decreases. While the overall share was still relatively low, it amounted to more than 1 in 30 adults aged 19 or older.
The report documented some positive signs as well. South Korea’s gender gap in suicide rates narrowed as the male rate decreased 1.7 percent and the female rate fell 6.4 percent. Automobile accidents involving drunk drivers edged up just 1.1 percent.
Aging population remained a longer-term challenge. South Korea had the fifth-highest rate of older residents compared to youth in the OECD, with 167 people aged 65 or above for every 100 ages 14 or under. Over a fifth of the country’s seniors lived alone in 2022.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
