[Photo] S. Korea recovers top spot in OECD’s suicide rate listings

South Korea’s suicide rate, which had been gradually diminishing throughout the past few years, is back on the rise. Furthermore, South Korea has recovered the top spot in the OECD’s suicide rate list after falling to second place. According to Statistics Korea, the number of suicides in South Korea for 2018 was 13,670, an increase of 1,207 compared to the previous year. The suicide rate increased by 9.5 percentage points. Suicide was also listed as the top cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 40; it was the second leading cause of death for people in their 40s and 50s.