韩国自杀率居高不下 当局加强网络监察

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.

韩国已指派一组人员在网络中搜查与自杀相关的材料，这是为降低自杀率而采取的行动之一。

这个由100人组成的监察小组来自社会各界，包括学生、家庭主妇和心理健康专家。

韩国是全世界自杀率最高的国家之一，平均每天有40人自杀。

韩国政府认为，网络有害内容增多导致了自杀率的上升。

监察小组将监视博客和社交网站，搜寻那些帮助或鼓励人们策划自杀的内容。

据认为，年轻人经常在网上寻找同伴相约一起自杀。

首尔市政府的一名发言人告诉韩国联合通讯社说，自杀“不再是一种个人问题，而成了我们都必须参与进来共同解决的社会问题”。

根据政府数据，韩国现在的自杀率是二三十年前的五倍。

住在首尔的英国广播公司的露西•威廉森说，许多人将自杀率上升归咎于韩国高压的教育制度，因为许多自杀者都是学生。

她说，还有许多人认为自杀率上升是韩国经济快速增长的结果，经济发展导致韩国成为发达国家中工作时间最长的国家之一。

去年韩国推行了各种方案，以试图减少自杀人数。

首尔主要的大桥上都安装了紧急呼救电话，汉江上也有一队救援人员在巡逻。