South Korea shuts living people in caskets to tackle record suicide rate

[lostinblue 1,989]

South Korea shuts living people in caskets to tackle record suicide rate

FORTY-THREE people kill themselves every day in South Korea, more than anywhere else in the world. The statistic is staggering, but so is the solution.

To curb the deadly trend, entrepreneurs in the suicide capital of the world have developed a massively-popular ritual, one that involves getting as close to death as possible without actually dying: Mock funerals.

Participants write wills and farewell letters to family members. They dress in white robes and, to complete the emotional journey, they climb into wooden caskets and contemplate their deaths.

Inside their coffin, one replete with a breathing hole to avoid actual death, South Koreans spend 10 minutes in complete darkness. As morbid as the exercise may sound, it is hoped they realise life is worth living.

Experts say it’s a bizarre concept, but something — anything — is better than the status quo.

‘I WOULD DESCRIBE IT AS A PRESSURE COOKER’

There’s a reason the suicide rate in South Korea is higher than anywhere else in the world. The answer has everything to do with deeply-rooted cultural values.

Roald Maliangkajj is the convener of Korean Studies at the Australian National University. Speaking to news.com.au from Seoul, he said extreme pressure to succeed was behind the worrying figures.

“The number one thing is the pressure in the workplace. People don’t leave the office until 10pm, sometimes midnight. Work pressure is enormous and chances for people to get jobs are not good.”

He said traditional male and female roles were embedded in society and could have devastating effects.

“Men are supposed to be the bread winner, that’s why the suicide rate is so high among men. On the underground (subway system), they have advertisements for middle aged women being depressed, too. I suppose that’s the age at which some of them can’t have children anymore

and they get bombarded by relatives and society about having failed as a woman (if they don’t have children). It’s not easy for them either.”

Kim Ki-Ho, the creator of the near-death experience, told Vice that inside the coffin, participants meditate.

“This is death meditation. They look back on their lives. (There) is a hole for breathing. In case of an accident. If we suffocate, then we’ll really die.”

He said most people realised after the experience that life was worth living, others turned the opposite way.

“Most of the people in here, 90 per cent, they feel like ‘Oh, this is dying? Their anxiety is gone. They let everything go. Some of them, one per cent, they want more.”

SUICIDE IS EVER PRESENT

In South Korea, even the most successful people succumb to their demons.

In the past 10 years, actresses, supermodels, sports stars and singers have taken their own lives.

South Korean actor and singer Park Yong-ha, 33, was found dead in his apartment in Seoul in 2009. He was in the prime of his life.

That same year, supermodel Daul Kim reportedly suicided, too. The 20-year-old was at the height of her fame, modelling on catwalks around the world.

Four years earlier, South Korean actress Lee Eun-joo was found hanging in the walk-in closet of her bedroom. She too exhibited health, happiness and success before ending her life.

Mr Maliangkajj said in the entertainment industry suicide has often been portrayed as something romantic.

“Suicide on behalf of a lost one hasn’t been seen as evil. Because celebrity is such a big thing here it could go either way.”

He said pressure to be successful in South Korea was only matched by pressure to look successful.

“There are plastic surgery ads everywhere. This morning before I had a shower I was watching the news and I could see that one of the news readers had undergone plastic surgery. It was obvious that they’d done a very nice job on his nose. You can’t help but think that it’s just more pressure. In Australia we have teeth whitening, they go much further here.”

‘I’VE MADE LOTS OF MISTAKES’

Cho Yong-tae was one of a number of South Koreans who recently trialled the fake funeral experience. He said he emerged from the casket with a different outlook on life.

“I realised I should try to live a new kind of life,” he told the BBC.

“I’ve realised I’ve made lots of mistakes. I hope to be more passionate in all the work I do, and to spend more time with my family.”

Suicide rates in South Korea peaked in 2009 at 33.8 per 100,000 residents. That’s higher than anywhere else in the developed world and it’s been that way since 2003.

Behind South Korea are Hungary and Japan, another country where similar cultural values are to blame for high rates of suicide.

Governments are trying to come up with solutions to the problem but admit it won’t be an easy fix. In the meantime, it’s hoped fake funerals and other initiatives will help bring the number down.

Mr Maliangkajj told news.com.au its “sad” that the situation has come to this.

“I find it extremely sad that this has been conducted and will continue to be. I don’t have anything against it but it shows how bad things have become.”

http://www.couriermail.com.au/lifestyle/health/south-korea-shuts-living-people-in-caskets-to-tackle-record-suicide-rate/news-story/f190e086de374370308cd677c49173e3

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

This can't be true. High suicide rate ? They have strict gun control.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

This can't be true. High suicide rate ? They have strict gun control.

I am sure that the lack of access to our 2nd Amendment is precisely the cause of South Korea having such a terrible suicide rate. It's amazing how important guns are to over all wellness.

[TBoneTX 46,379]

reportedly suicided, too.

Nice word, but not a verb.

Edited December 28, 2015 by TBoneTX

[Ban Hammer 13,716]

I am sure that the lack of access to our 2nd Amendment is precisely the cause of South Korea having such a terrible suicide rate. It's amazing how important guns are to over all wellness.

going to the range can be a way to work off some stress.

[Expat1 971]

They should market the warm safe bunker experience: Locked into a dark casket with a loaded six-shooter.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

I laid in bed in my white robe with the covers over me (no breathing holes, I am a rebel) in complete silence for 10 minutes in solidarity.

[Ban Hammer 13,716]

I laid in bed in my white robe with the covers over me (no breathing holes, I am a rebel) in complete silence for 10 minutes in solidarity.

be brave - have some taco bell a few hours earlier on your next show of solidarity.

Edited December 28, 2015 by charles!

[Teddy B 17,252]

going to the range can be a way to work off some stress.

So can walking or any other form of exercise.

[Ban Hammer 13,716]

So can walking or any other form of exercise.

yeah, but that wasn't mentioned earlier.

[Teddy B 17,252]

yeah, but that wasn't mentioned earlier.

I see, it's better to keep it simple.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Good to see a country actively trying to tackle this problem and find a solution instead of giving them a gun to do it.

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

I am sure that the lack of access to our 2nd Amendment is precisely the cause of South Korea having such a terrible suicide rate. It's amazing how important guns are to over all wellness.

But it has been argued many times here that having a gun in the houses causes contributed to our suicide rate

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

But it has been argued many times here that having a gun in the houses causes contributed to our suicide rate

http://www.boston.com/news/science/blogs/science-in-mind/2013/09/06/harvard-study-finds-gun-the-home-increases-risk-suicide/Ab0CurEcKHhPm7clW9NIPO/blog.html

Can you honestly say it's not true? I'm not against gun ownership, but maybe there is a correlation between the two?

[Ban Hammer 13,716]

http://www.boston.com/news/science/blogs/science-in-mind/2013/09/06/harvard-study-finds-gun-the-home-increases-risk-suicide/Ab0CurEcKHhPm7clW9NIPO/blog.html

Can you honestly say it's not true? I'm not against gun ownership, but maybe there is a correlation between the two?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation