Mapo Bridge over Seoul’s Han River, which is a well-known suicide spot. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s suicide death rate dropped steadily for over 2013 to 2017, government data showed Sunday.
The data compiled by the health ministry and Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention showed that 22.8 out of 100,000 South Koreans took their own lives in 2017, dropping from 24.4 in 2016.
The country’s suicide rate fell gradually from 27.4 out of 100,000 in 2013 to 25.9 in 2014 and 25.4 in 2015.
The total number of suicide deaths declined for five straight years since 2013, when it stood at 13,851. The figure dropped from 13,154 in 2014 to 12,955 in 2015, and even further to 12,474 in 2016 and 11,690 in 2017.
The main reason for committing suicide was due to mental heath problems (36.1 percent), followed by economic difficulties (19.5 percent) and physical health problems (17.4 percent).
(Yonhap)
