High death rates from pneumonia and suicide in South Korea
- 6 years ago
Numbers show that a record number of South Koreans died from cancer last year.
But surprisingly, the figures were the second lowest among the OECD member nations... while deaths from pneumonia, suicide, and traffic accidents were noticeably high.
Hong Yoo has the details.
At least one out of every four deaths in South Korea last year was caused by cancer.
According to Statistics Korea, cancer killed more than seventy-eight thousand Koreans in 2017, the highest number since records began in 1983.
However, South Korea had the second lowest rate of deaths from cancer in the OECD.
According to OECD data, 160-point-1 Koreans out of every 100-thousand died from cancer last year.
The only OECD member with a lower rate of deaths from cancer than South Korea was Mexico.
On the other hand, Hungary had the highest rate of deaths from cancer -- over 1-point-7 times higher than South Korea.
Experts say this is due to the expansion of government policies providing free medical checkups.
In South Korea, people older than 50 can have a free check-up for colorectal cancer. And starting from next year, for those who have a high possibility of getting lung cancer can also get a free checkup.
However, when it comes to deaths from pneumonia and suicide, South Korea is on the upper end of the scale, with the second highest number of deaths from pneumonia in the OECD.
Experts say that pneumonia mainly affects the elderly. As life expectancy has increased in South Korea, the number of elderly people that die from pneumonia is also increasing.
Last year, about 23 Koreans out of every 100 thousand committed suicide. The number is the second highest in the OECD.
There were also 9.6 deaths per 100-thousand from traffic accidents.
Both suicide and traffic accident death rates are falling but they remain among the highest in the OECD.
Hong Yoo, Arirang News.
But surprisingly, the figures were the second lowest among the OECD member nations... while deaths from pneumonia, suicide, and traffic accidents were noticeably high.
Hong Yoo has the details.
At least one out of every four deaths in South Korea last year was caused by cancer.
According to Statistics Korea, cancer killed more than seventy-eight thousand Koreans in 2017, the highest number since records began in 1983.
However, South Korea had the second lowest rate of deaths from cancer in the OECD.
According to OECD data, 160-point-1 Koreans out of every 100-thousand died from cancer last year.
The only OECD member with a lower rate of deaths from cancer than South Korea was Mexico.
On the other hand, Hungary had the highest rate of deaths from cancer -- over 1-point-7 times higher than South Korea.
Experts say this is due to the expansion of government policies providing free medical checkups.
In South Korea, people older than 50 can have a free check-up for colorectal cancer. And starting from next year, for those who have a high possibility of getting lung cancer can also get a free checkup.
However, when it comes to deaths from pneumonia and suicide, South Korea is on the upper end of the scale, with the second highest number of deaths from pneumonia in the OECD.
Experts say that pneumonia mainly affects the elderly. As life expectancy has increased in South Korea, the number of elderly people that die from pneumonia is also increasing.
Last year, about 23 Koreans out of every 100 thousand committed suicide. The number is the second highest in the OECD.
There were also 9.6 deaths per 100-thousand from traffic accidents.
Both suicide and traffic accident death rates are falling but they remain among the highest in the OECD.
Hong Yoo, Arirang News.