The Mapo Bridge crosses the
Han River in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
and connects the
Mapo District
Mapo District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea.
Mapo has a population of 381,330 (2015) and has a geographic area of 23.87 km2 (9.22 sq mi), and is divided into 24 '' dong'' (administrative neighborhoods). Mapo is located in w ...
and the
Yeongdeungpo District
Yeongdeungpo District () is an administrative district in southwest Seoul, South Korea. Although the origin of the name is uncertain, the first two syllables are thought to be from "''yeongdeung''" (靈登) or "divine ascent", a shamanic rite. T ...
in the city of
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
. The
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
was completed in 1970. Until 1984, the bridge was called Seoul Bridge.
Suicides
The
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
rate is very high
in South Korea and bridge jumping is common. Mapo Bridge has a reputation of jumpers with over 100 attempts in between 2007 and 2012.
On July 26, 2013,
Sung Jae-ki jumped off Mapo Bridge in an attempt to draw attention to gender inequality against men and a plea to accrue needed funds for "Men of Korea". Although rescue work began almost immediately after he fell and a widespread search of the Han River was conducted, it took three days to retrieve his body.
In an effort to deter suicides on the bridge,
Samsung Life Insurance
Samsung Life Insurance ( Korean: 삼성생명보험) is a South Korean multinational insurance company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and a subsidiary of the Samsung Group. It is the largest insurance company in South Korea and a Fort ...
added pictures, words, and a statue that were intended to foster an encouraging atmosphere.
For instance, the bridge's handrails were equipped with motion sensors to sense movement, lighting up with short phrases (written with the help of suicide prevention specialists and psychologists), also showing photos of happy families among other things. However, such measures were deemed to be a failure in 2015 and Samsung eventually replaced the lights and slogans with barriers in a return to a more physical approach to suicide prevention by October.
Gallery
File:Mapo Bridge.png, The phrase on the handrail pictured reads "the wind is really nice."
See also
*
Sung Jae-ki
References
Bridges in Seoul
Bridges completed in 1970
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