The Republic of Korea tops the list of OECD countries (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) by the number of suicides. Every day in a country known worldwide for its developed economy, technology and pop culture, several dozen people voluntarily part with their lives. What is the cause of the suicide epidemic will tell the new film RTD "Stress in Korean."

The country of eternal competition

Like residents of other highly developed countries, many citizens of the Republic of Korea suffer from constant stress. The main measure of “quality” for a Korean in society is his success, which encourages continuous development and self-improvement. It also provokes increased competition in all areas of life, which turns into a race. In Korea, they just say that about competition: in kindergarten, at school, at university, at work. Here you have to compete everywhere in order to achieve at least something, to build a reputation that should remain crystal clear.

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“And there is one more problem. It is a necessity to hold a face. In Korea, people are very worried if there is a bad opinion about them in society, ”says psychiatrist Lee Chun Hyun, RTD.

But that is not all. Koreans, in most cases, build an opinion about a person only according to external data. In a society in which, due to lack of time, even holidays are sheer stress, people look down on you if you are not dressed in a fashionable way.

Spicy foods, alcohol and coffins

Stress and suicide are not only the destiny of the poor, unsuccessful and ugly. The sad list of suicides includes the 16th president of the Republic of Korea, No Mooh Hyun (from his suicide note: “I am going through difficult times. I have complicated the lives of too many people ...”), millionaire Lee Yoon Hyun, famous football players, baseball players, actors and pop artists (the so-called "idols"). Fashionable vlogger Park Tae Ho told RTD his ways to deal with nervous exhaustion.

“Now I am going to make a new show, so I have a lot of meetings. I’m constantly stressed, ”says Tae Ho. - And so today, my friends and I decided to eat something spicy. Young people eat spicy foods to relieve tension a bit. ”

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Surprisingly, this way of dealing with stress is actually quite effective.

“By consuming spicy foods, the human body produces endorphins, hormones that help improve mood,” says psychiatrist Lee Chun Hyun. “This has been verified empirically.”

Another way to deal with stress that Koreans use is alcohol. Fridays evenings in Seoul turn into a ubiquitous holiday, when even strict office clerks take off their ties and often indulge in openly immoderate libations. Well, the low crime rate allows the jaunty toilers to freely get home even when intoxicated.

But there are much more exotic ways to deal with stress. For example, play the deceased. This is a fairly popular training, in which any adult Korean can absolutely free ... die for fun.

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After a short lecture, people write farewell notes, dress in funeral clothes, after which they are closed in coffins, where they should spend some time. The purpose of this training is not only the fight against stress, but also “rebirth”, that is, a rethinking of one’s life.

“Many people think that they will live very long. And things often set aside for later things that should be given attention now: family relations, for example, or relations with loved ones. Understanding that death is real and can occur at any moment, pushes a person to what is really important and what he is used to put off for the future ”, - Jung Young Moon, Director of the Hyowon Center.

Monastery and Bridge of Life

A less extravagant, but rather effective method to recover, having renounced the bustle of the city, is to go to the monastery. True, as in the case of the "grave" training, - also make-believe. The program "Way to Yourself", which the Koreans call TempleStay (literally - staying in the temple), allows you to temporarily become a novice of a Buddhist monastery with all the consequences of the daily routine, diet, responsibilities, as well as indispensable prayers and meditations. The meaning of the training is a sharp change in the usual rhythm of life with its transfer to a completely different environment.

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Korean society is gradually learning how to adapt to stress and fight against nervous strain. One of the most striking examples of such a struggle is the Mapo Bridge of Seoul, which until 2012 was sadly called the Bridge of Suicides. The locals explained its notoriety not by ancient curses, but rather prosaically: Mapo is located in close proximity to Yoido, the financial district of the city.

But soon, the Seoul government teamed up with a number of psychologists and designers and turned the bridge into a "therapeutic zone." “I love you,” “Let's take a walk together,” “You look worried. Is everything all right? ”,“ Tomorrow the sun will certainly rise ”,“ Have you eaten today? ”,“ To bring those you miss ”are just some of the phrases on the parapets of the bridge. They add up to the dialogue that Mapo, as it were, leads with a passerby. In addition, round-the-clock surveillance was installed on the bridge, some of the poles are equipped with panic buttons, and rescue services are ready to be there almost immediately. This set of measures helped dramatically reduce the number of suicides on Mapo, which locals now call the "Bridge of Life."

Watch the film “Korean Stress” on the RTD website.