http://www.allkpop.com/buzz/2015/08/...-year-in-a-row

Why is the suicide rate so much higher in South Korea? I am really curious, it seems like such a beautiful technologically-advanced country.

Pressure of education (if you don't get top grades you're deemed a failure since you won't go to a top university and you won't get recruited by a top company)

Warped standard of beauty; too many unrealistic 'idols', known to be the country to have the most plastic surgery and is generally very superficial

Liberal oppression through culture and religion; things obviously like homosexuality being taboo and generally feeling of conservatism, many people can't be themselves etc etc

I am so glad I was brought up in Britain or I would cry, South Korea is stunning but I wish it embodied more progressive kind of politics.

population age gap.

I've never been to Korea, though I have had a number of Korean friends and a lot of them talked about how they felt South Korea made them feel really pressured (particularly with regards to the education system). So I think that is a factor. There's definitely a lot more stress for the average South Korean than there is for the average New Zealander - my friends told me that much.

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A clever post. I've heard that Korea and generally East Asian countries have a tradition of being very hard working from the earliest years. This might cause frustration to build up in some people and result in suicide.

We learned about this in school.

Population age gap being one of the reasons.
Not enough women for men leading to depression.

All of this.
Also there's the important factor that suicide is much more ingrained into Korean culture, like Japanese culture, and there has never been the same religious taboo against it as in the West.

A lot of famous Korean celebs have commit suicide in the past as well. The pressure is real I always think of committing suicide but I will never be brave enough to actually do it.

Mental health problems have a negative stigma attached to it. You see many people in the entertainment industry who have problems (i.e. OCD, depression, bulimia, etc) and they literally talk about it jokingly and don't take it seriously. I've heard that going to see psychologist or getting prescribed from meds to help their problems ends up on your record and it makes it very difficult to find work. This is probably why the elders have the highest suicide rate.

Everyone can't become k-pop stars, and probably like pressure to succeed and societal values and perception of suicide or something idk

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I also watch this show called "hello counselor" and people with medical and psychological problems come there and they are being made fun of and they don't treat them like they should at all, its really sad

This is all very true. And very sad.

The grading part sounds a lot like Japan. I agree on the beauty standards thing, just look at their manufactured popstars.

It is? They for real seem so happy though