Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Chamchiman]

There was a terrible story on the news last night of a 10 year old boy in Gwangju who hung himself. Apparently he did poorly on his mid-semester tests and couldn�t take it. He left a note:

�Father. Mother. I really don�t like living in this world, so I will kill myself. Live well.�

http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/schooling/318876.html

This is an isolated incident, but many of us can see the stress and unhappiness of a fair number or our students every day that we teach them. There have also been well-documented survey results showing that Korean people are among the longest-working and most unhappy people in the world. Some people get it � this post by jdog2050 a couple of weeks ago is an example:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?p=1818272

but a paradigm shift in how parents think their kids should be educated is probably a generation away.

This tragic story will probably shake up a few parents in Gwangju, but there are a lot of other families out there who will glance at the headline, shake their heads, and send their kids off to study.

When do you think things are going to change?

[cruisemonkey]

It's not an isolated incident and it's not going to change.

[VanIslander]

Koreans have a lot to learn about raising children.

World class suicide rates should be a sign of a need for social change.

[Chamchiman]

It's an isolated incident (as far as I know) among elementary school kids. You're right though that it isn't an isolated incident for a student to kill themselves. It happens all too often, but much more frequently it's a middle- or high-school kid.

[jdog2050]

[marlow]

A ten year old killing him or herself is really sad, and I think it reflects on the parents. Any mature people that kill themselves, especially these boohoo stars, I say good riddance.

[Davew125]

I read in the Herald (last week i think) that 142 elementary/middle school/high school students killed themselves last year. I dont know how this relates to other countries statisitcs but i dont think it is an isolated incident.

[pkang0202]

[RACETRAITOR]

[itstiff]

As it is rare for an elementary school kid to commit suicide, let everyone else has said .. it's not an isolated incident for school-age children, or even just people in general, in South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong to result to suicide.

I remember reading about a 2nd grader in Hong Kong jumping off the roof of his high-rise because he did bad on a spelling quiz.

Sadly, this will never change.

[Chamchiman]

[RACETRAITOR]

Ten-year-olds shouldn't even be aware that suicide is possible.

[Adventurer]

[pkang0202]

[hugekebab]

Unfortunately, suicide seems to be a long held hobby of East Asians; not just Koreans.