Korea has seen an alarming rise in suicide attempts among schoolchildren in recent years, despite sporadic campaigns to reduce academic stress and bullying at school.

According to a detailed analysis by the Education Ministry, suicide attempts surged from 37 in 2011 to 451 last year. The number of students who succeeded in killing themselves fell from 150 in 2011 to 93 in 2015 but then rose again to 114 last year.

One alarming trend is that children who make suicide attempts are getting younger and younger. High school students accounted for 47 percent, but the proportion of elementary schoolchildren is rising. In 2011, no elementary schoolkids tried to kill themselves but 19 did in 2015 and 36 last year. Out of the 114 students who took their own lives last year, five were still in elementary school.

