Suicide attempts occur every other day on Han River bridges

Suicide attempts are reported on Seoul's Han River bridges every other day on average, a report said Monday, showing frequent attempted suicides in a country with one of the world's highest suicide rates. A total of 892 people jumped off one of the river's 24 major bridges in Seoul in suicide attempts between 2006 and 2010, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said in a report submitted to Kim Choong-joh, a lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party. Of the total, 375 people died, it noted. A total of 155 people attempted suicide at the bridges in 2006 while the number grew to 169 the following year. The figure reached 165 in 2008, 210 in 2009 and 193 last year, the report showed. An average of 178 people jumped off the bridges every year during the period, it noted. Mapo Bridge, which connects the financial district of Yeouido to Mapo, central Seoul, turned out to be the most favored place for suicide attempts, with 113 people, or 12.7 percent, jumping from the bridge. "Sometimes a report immediately follows a suicide attempt case, but in most cases, reports were filed only after the bodies were found," an official at Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters said. The city maintained two rescue squads along the eastern and western sections of the river to swiftly respond to calls of suicide attempts, the report said, noting the teams cost 2.06 billion won (US$1.7 million) every year. Nearly 31.2 out of every 100,000 South Koreans took their own lives last year, recording the highest suicide rate among those posted by the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.