Korea's elderly suicides highest among OECD members

South Korea's elderly suicide rate was the highest among the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), data showed Tuesday, prompting the country to come up with measures to counter the rise of suicides among economically strapped senior citizens.

According to the data compiled by the OECD, 81.8 per 100,000 South Korean elderly citizens under 74 years of age committed suicide in 2010, while 160 out of 100,000 people took their own lives among those aged 75 and above, the highest among the 34 member countries of the OECD.

The number is five to six times higher than that of the United States and even Japan, known to have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.

In 2005, South Korea's elderly suicide rate also ranked first among OECD members.

"Those who were unable to prepare for a financially stable life after retirement seem to be turning to extreme measures after suffering from physical and mental problems without any support from others," said Choi Bong-seon, who works at a specialized institution for the elderly in North Chungcheong Province.

With the number of those living alone while suffering from economic hardships or illnesses on the rise, elderly people committing suicide has emerged as a major social issue in the country in recent years.

According to Statistics Korea, almost one in five senior citizens in the country were living alone in 2010, and the protracted global economic slump has left more and more of them struggling without any means of support.

In October, a 65-year-old man living on his own was found dead in his home in Cheongju, 137 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the police. He had supposedly taken his own life after trying to make ends meet as a day laborer.

In order to reduce the significantly high rate of elderly suicides, local governments are drawing up preventive measures such as providing services including treatment and counseling to those suffering from depression.

"It is urgent for the government as well as the regional communities to pay more attention to help and protect the elderly," Choi said. (Yonhap News)