韓國自殺率居高不下 當局加強網路監察

South Korea has appointed a team of people to scan the internet for suicide-related material as part of a move to cut suicide rates.

The 100-strong group of watchdogs is made up of a cross-section of society, including students, housewives and mental health specialists.

South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, with 40 people taking their own lives each day.

The government says a rise in harmful web material is a contributing factor.

The watchdogs will monitor blogs and social media sites for any material that helps or encourages people to plan their own deaths.

It is thought young people often trawl the internet for companions with whom to make pacts.

A Seoul city government spokesman told the South Korean news agency Yonhap that suicide "is no longer an individual problem but rather a social issue that we must all take part in to resolve".

There are five times as many suicides in South Korea as there were a generation ago, according to the government.

Many blame the rise on the country's high-pressure education system, as many of those who commit suicide are students, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul.

Others believe the rise is a result of the country's rapid economic growth, which has led to some of the longest working hours in the developed world, she says.

Over the last year, various schemes have been introduced to try to reduce the figures.

Phones linked to emergency helplines have been installed on Seoul's major bridges, and a team of rescue workers patrol the Han River.韓國已指派一組人員在網路中搜查與自殺相關的材料，這是為降低自殺率而採取的行動之一。

這個由100人組成的監察小組來自社會各界，包括學生、家庭主婦和心理健康專家。

韓國是全世界自殺率最高的國家之一，平均每天有40人自殺。

韓國政府認為，網路有害內容增多導致了自殺率的上升。

監察小組將監視部落格和社交網站，搜尋那些幫助或鼓勵人們策劃自殺的內容。

據認為，年輕人經常在網上尋找同伴相約一起自殺。

首爾市政府的一名發言人告訴韓國聯合通訊社說，自殺“不再是一種個人問題，而成了我們都必須參與進來共同解決的社會問題”。

根據政府資料，韓國現在的自殺率是二三十年前的五倍。

住在首爾的英國廣播公司的露西•威廉森說，許多人將自殺率上升歸咎於韓國高壓的教育制度，因為許多自殺者都是學生。

她說，還有許多人認為自殺率上升是韓國經濟快速增長的結果，經濟發展導致韓國成為發達國家中工作時間最長的國家之一。

去年韓國推行了各種方案，以試圖減少自殺人數。

首爾主要的大橋上都安裝了緊急呼救電話，漢江上也有一隊救援人員在巡邏。