Seoul citizens mulling suicide last year increasingly chose to go to Han River bridges instead of subway stations, traditionally common locations for suicides, after most stations set up screen doors on their platforms to prevent possible accidents and suicide attempts, a police report said Tuesday.
Suicide attempts on Han River bridges rose by 30 percent from 83 in 2009 to 108 last year, the National Police Agency said in a report submitted to Rep. Yoon Seok-yong of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP). Twenty-eight of those attempts ended in death, it added.
On the contrary, the number of citizens attempting suicide by jumping from platforms of subway stations decreased from 77 in 2009 to 29 last year, according to the report.
Most of the incidents happened at no-screen door stations, indicating screen doors were effective in preventing suicides.
"Just as screen doors were established at subway stations for the safety of citizens, we need to prepare various measures to prevent impulsive suicides on Han River bridges," Yoon said.