Causes
Of the 29,501 suicides in South Korea between 2009 and 2010, the causes were: psychological despair 28.8% (8,489 cases), physical pain 22.6% (6,672), economic difficulties 15.9% (4,690), and family problems 11.4% (3,363). In cases of youth suicide, the most common cause is pressure related to the College Scholastic Ability Test.
An NGO, Korean Association for Suicide Prevention (KASP) was created in December 2003, and since 2005, it has received support from the government.
Analyzing the suicides up to 2003, Park and Lester note that unemployment was a major factor, and that "cultural tradition of filial obligation is not congruent with the increasingly competitive, specialized labor market of the modern era." In South Korea, it has been the traditional duty of children to take care of their parents. In the modern economy it is more difficult, so the elderly are sacrificing themselves by committing suicide so to lessen the burden on the children.
Read more about this topic: Suicides In South Korea