Professor Han is giving a lecture. Photographed by Kim Yeojeong

By Kim Yeojeong (letrajet18@korea.ac.kr)

Led by the Center of Death Education (CDE) of Korea University Institute of Educational Research, a lecture about “Trauma Related to Suicides” was given by Professor Han Chang-Su (College of Medicine) on September 21. Said lecture focused on Thanatology, a scientific study of death, and it is part of the cultural trauma forum which is being held for about a month.

According to Professor Han, the prejudice of the society against self-murder is one of the causes that lead to a secondary trauma. The lecturer besides remarked that the suicide-prevention policy is ought to be modified for the removal of the factors which cause a person to commit a suicide. “The people bereaved by a suicide are more likely to feel suicidal and, in this sense, a systematic change in the current policy is needed,” said Professor Han.

Meanwhile, there are currently no experts who can cure the cultural trauma in Korea, according to CDE. There are also no certain institutes to educate the ones who can deal with these issues. Therefore, CDE is now planning to foster experts on remediation for a trauma. Through this sort of endeavor, CDE hopes to alleviate the post-traumatic embitterment and to cure the pathologized culture of the society.