Why do Nepalese workers commit suicide in Korea?

South Korea is considered a much safer destination country for Nepali workers. Korea is very careful about the safety of workers going to Korea through the Employment Permit System (EPS). Nepali workers are among the main choices of Korean employers. However, the death rate of Nepali workers there is increasing, and the suicide rate is also high.

According to the data provided by the Nepali Embassy in South Korea to the EPS Korea branch, 250 Nepalis have died so far. In which 68 people have committed suicide. Similarly, it seems that 62 people died without any reason. 30 people lost their lives while working and 22 people died due to illness. Similarly, 4 people drowned in the sea and 35 people died due to various other reasons.

According to the statistics of Foreign Employment Board, since 2065, 12,500 Nepalese who went for foreign employment have lost their lives abroad. More than 1,300 of them have committed suicide.

Since 2008, 68 people have committed suicide in Korea. Even though the numbers seem small, the number of suicides in Korea is a challenge, said Gurudatta Subedi, director of the EPS Korea branch.

We consider Korea to be the safest country for Nepali workers. We have taken the suicide of Nepali brothers and sisters who went to work there as a challenge. Although the number is small, it is very sad that this happened," said Subedi.

Reasons for suicide in Korea:

After passing the EPS language test from Nepal, Nepalis started going to Korea from 2008. So far, more than 150,000 Nepalis have reached Korea. Currently, more than 45 thousand Nepalis are working in Korea.

Recently, around 20,000 to 25,000 people have gone to Korea. Even Korea seems to be increasing the quota for Nepal.

Director Subedi said that there are many reasons why Nepali workers commit suicide in Korea. He says that it is difficult to work in Korea, people commit suicide due to social and mental problems.

The hardest job in Korea is minari. That means picking a type of green by immersing yourself in the lake up to your neck. Water is frozen. You have to go there and pick greens all day. He says that the work will be the most complicated. Subedi says that when they become mentally weak when they are unable to work, they choose the path of suicide.

They have not worked in Nepal. There you have to walk with the machine all the time. You can't sit empty even for a moment. The job of Minari is very difficult. In Nepal, those who eat and walk around can't work," said Director Subedi, "It is very difficult for those who have not done much physical exertion or work in their homeland. They become mentally weak and even choose the path of suicide.

He says that those who don't know about working abroad will have to work like a machine and it will be a kind of stress. Similarly, it was found that some people choose the path of suicide due to family reasons.

There are husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend. In Korea, you have to work around the clock. Since he is in Nepal, he doesn't give time to talk to himself, he thinks that he might be talking to others there. There is a fight about that. On the one hand, the pressure of work and on the other hand the torture of the house, it has also been seen that people commit suicide," said director Subedi.

Among those who commit suicide, most of them commit suicide by hanging themselves inside the room or at the workplace. Similarly, they have also committed suicide by consuming poison.

Why do they go into depression?

32-year-old Machindra Kurungwang from Jhapa Damak returned to Nepal after living in Korea for 6 years. Some time after returning to Nepal, he has reached Korea again. According to him, in Korea, he has to move along with the machine. If you do it for even a second, you will be scolded by the owner and your life will be at risk.

He says that they have to work like robots in Korea. Work should be done like a machine. Every second counts. I have to keep working in the company I work for. Robots bring goods, we have to use our hands to arrange them. You can't free your hands even for a second. If you try to rest even for a second during work, there will be another problem,” said Machindra.

According to him, you can earn good money based on your work, but you have to suffer a lot more. You have to work 8 hours a day. Then there is also overtime. My company has a mandatory overtime of 2 and a half hours. Some days it lasts for 5 and a half hours. Earning is good based on the work done. However, the suffering is more than imagined, he said.

He says that there are many reasons behind suicide and mental stress. Some are suffering a lot. How many people have committed suicide? They send home the money earned by working hard for 12-14 hours," he said. "The family at home blows that money away. And no matter how hard they work, they go into depression and commit suicide when the achievement is zero.

He also says that such incidents are increasing due to family stress and problems. There is stress due to family. Due to that stress, they drink alcohol. And friends quarrel with each other. Some die, some are injured. This problem has also been seen," he said.

What is being done to reduce the initiative?

There does not seem to be much initiative to reduce death and suicide in Korea. As the suicide rate continues to increase, the government seems to be taking initiatives to reduce it. EPS Korea branch has sent one million rupees to the Nepali Embassy in Korea.

Director Subedi said that the money will be used to spread public awareness among the Nepali workers in Korea under the 'Happy Home Return' program. Under this program, the Nepalis in Korea will be given public awareness about mental illness, and counseling will be given to those living in Ilgil.

He also said that an awareness program has been started for the families of workers in Korea in all seven provinces. We have also started interacting with the families of the workers in Korea. We have said things like not to put unnecessary pressure on them, to advise them not to spend the money sent to Nepal indiscriminately,'' he said.

Currently, around 4 percent of Nepalis are living illegally in Korea. Director Subedi says that work is being done to bring them back home. If there are too many illegals, there is a fear that Korea will reduce the quota tomorrow. "Therefore, work is being done to search for those living illegally and bring them back home," he said