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Health

Watch: On Patrol with South Korea's Suicide Rescue Team

VICE follows a suicide rescue team on the Han River in Seoul, South Korea to understand what the country is doing to end its suicide epidemic.

Due to a financially competitive business class and overwhelming academic stress in schools, South Korea has had the highest suicide rate in the developed world for the last eight years. From teenagers to senior citizens, an estimated 43 people commit suicide in the country every day.

To understand how South Korea is dealing with this suicide epidemic, VICE followed Hyung-Geun Suh, captain of the Yeoudio Water Rescue Unit, who—along with his team—is responsible for rescuing the people who jump from Seoul's Mapo Bridge, one of the most popular spots in the city to attempt suicide.

Suh explains the safeguards put in place to prevent people from trying to take their own lives, the trauma of pulling bodies from the Han River, and how he and his team handle the extreme emotional burden of trying to save hopeless people each and every day.