Girl Suicide in Ghaziabad: Why Self-Harm Games Are Increasingly Popular in Korea

Korean culture is unique and intrigues people all over the world, including Indians. Over the past decade, thousands of fans of K-pop, K-dramas and Korean culture and food have endured in India, especially among Gen Z and late millennials. Although it is a very disciplined and rigorous culture, some elements of it, which can be considered toxic, also seep into fandoms and influence those who follow this culture.

ERASER CHALLENGE: WHY SUICIDE GAMES GAINING TRACTION IN SOUTH KOREA?

It should be noted that despite being an OECD country – a group of wealthy and developed countries under the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development – ​​South Korea has high stress levels and records more suicides than any other country in the group. A lot of it has to do with the culture.

This also explains why self-harm games and toxic fandoms have emerged in South Korea.

Let’s take a closer look at Korean culture, and first explore why toxic trends are taking hold in South Korea.

While ‘self-harm games’ emerge from time to time from different parts of the world, South Korea has often been a hotspot where such trends are gaining traction – an example of this is the Eraser Challenge.

Eraser Challenge was a viral trend in the early and mid-2010s where participants repeatedly rubbed an eraser over their skin to “erase their skin”, testing their pain tolerance. Participants, mainly schoolchildren, could be seen with scrapes and cuts on their skin. From the US, Britain to South Korea, the trend increased everywhere, prompting teachers to ask parents to check for scars on their children’s bodies.

Online searches for such trends show Google and Bing directing users to helpline numbers and research materials, but remnants of old Reddit threads suggest such games were popular in South Korea nearly a decade ago. But the question here is: why are these toxic challenges gaining ground in South Korea?

WHY SOUTH KOREAN CULTURE APPEALS INDIAN YOUTH?

India, despite its large and growing Korean fandom, has largely stayed away from these trends, although sporadic cases do surface from time to time.

The minors from Ghaziabad left behind a diary with sad notes, a crying caricature drawing and messages. Scribbles were found on the wall inside the building that read: “I am very, very alone. My life is very, very alone.”

According to reports, the girls also portrayed themselves as Korean princesses.

The reasons for this influence could be South Korea’s digital culture that appeals to Indian teens and young adults – just like in the West – and the way online platforms feed on the isolation and vulnerability among young users.

It should be noted that South Korea itself does not create or promote challenges that encourage self-harm as part of its culture, but it is where these games become popular. The reasons are numerous.

KOREAN EDUCATION SYSTEM, COMPETITION, ADD TO STRESS

The education system in South Korea is notoriously strict. Students have to study long hours, almost as much as an aspiring civil servant in India, just to pass the school and college exams.

The long study hours extend to cram schools known as “hagwons” in preparation for the high-stakes College Scholastic Ability Test known as the “Suneung.” Reports indicate that more than 78% of Korean students attend “hagwons”.

The Suneung in particular is a single nine-hour test that largely determines university admission.

So there is enormous pressure on teenagers from parents, teachers and society as a whole.

According to a 2023 report from the Journal of Global Health Reports, middle and high school students in South Korea suffer greatly from serious mental health problems, such as suicidal ideation, depression and anxiety, due to “complex college admissions policies and overloaded after-school private education,” with many studying for 6 to 9 hours on weekends and getting far less than the recommended sleep.

Mental health problems also affect young adults, but just like in Indian society, there is a stigma attached to discussing problems such as depression, anxiety and other mental health problems.

An analysis from Brigham Young University’s Ballard Center for Social Impact, 2023, noted that “cultural stigma prevents individuals from receiving treatment” even though academic stress contributes to approximately 12% of adolescent suicides in South Korea.

CONFUCIANISM, PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY IN KOREA CONTRIBUTIONS TO STRESS

Studies and reports from organizations such as the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the OECD and newspapers such as The Korea Herald have discussed over the years that South Korea places far too much importance on traditional values ​​such as respecting the family, working very hard and maintaining group harmony. It’s all rooted in Confucianism – a philosophy from East Asia that emphasizes obedience to elders, loyalty to family, discipline, social order and putting collective responsibility above individual desires.

These sources suggest that young people, especially women, face severe pressure from a male-dominated social structure, long working hours and financial stress. Together they say this causes high levels of stress and mental health problems, especially among people in their 20s and 30s.

Notably, a peer-reviewed research paper on socio-economic factors associated with suicidal behavior in South Korea states: “South Korea’s suicide rates are among the highest in the world.”

EVEN K-POP STARS ARE UNDER IMMENSE PRESSURE

You might think that the life of an ordinary citizen is stressful in South Korea, but so are K-Pop idols loved by millions around the world.

K-pop stars, despite their glamorous public images, operate under highly controlled and strict schedules managed by their entertainment agencies.

The agencies dictate nearly every aspect of a K-Pop idol’s life, from training and promotions to personal habits, through long-term contracts that prioritize group success and brand image over individual freedom.

Trainees and debuting idols, who live in dormitories, follow a grueling daily routine – as early as 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. for training, followed by hours of singing, dancing, language and media training that can last until midnight or later, six or seven days a week.

They also have strict and absurd rules, such as clauses against dating that sometimes last for years. Their diet is monitored and weight is monitored regularly.

It shows that high stress affects all sections of society in South Korea.

HIGH-FAST INTERNET PROVIDES EASY ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA, REGARDLESS OF PRESSURE

Living in a country with a high-stress environment, combined with one of the fastest internet speeds, can become a recipe for disaster, as doomscrolling and online gossip are not where everything stops.

Smartphone usage in South Korea is also extremely high, with ownership nearly universal (about 95% to 98% of people own a smartphone) and more than 70% of users owning high-end devices, especially among young adults, according to a report in Seulz, a Seoul-based publication that focuses on the Korean technology scene.

Government surveys from South Korea’s National Information Society Agency (NISA), which tracks digital habits, show that over-reliance on smartphones affects a large number of adolescents. According to the annual Smartphone Overdependence Survey, approximately 37% to 40% of Korean children and teens between the ages of 10 and 19 are considered overly dependent on their smartphones.

Amid this, Korean youth have access to a slew of online games and social media challenges. Although most are not toxic, such harmful trends can surface from time to time. Today these games can be compared to infections. They arise from a fleeting idea, spread quickly and cling to vulnerable spaces. Korea’s high-pressure and stressful social environment often provides them with fertile ground.

It should be noted that in South Korea there are also many online games that focus on romance and storytelling rather than violence or “tasks”.

In these games, players interact with fictional characters, make choices and slowly build emotional connections, often in a dating style. In such a high-pressure and highly patriarchal society, the games give players a sense of camaraderie and validation in a fictional setting.

These games are usually a harmless escape and do not promote self-harm or risky behavior.

While this sounds like Korean culture is being blamed for creating a breeding ground for such challenges and toxic fandoms, it’s more about what happens when young, vulnerable minds in high-stress environments are exposed to uncontrolled internet access and algorithms designed to give them a dopamine hit.

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