自杀率上升引韩国政府关注

South Korea has appointed a team of people to scan¹ the internet for suicide²-related material as part of a move to cut suicide rates.

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。

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 pacts³.

A Seoul city government spokesman⁴ 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 suicides⁵ 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 patrol⁶ the Han River.