Another suicide hits Korea`s top sci-tech university KAIST

A senior at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, or KAIST, killed himself Tuesday, sending shock waves in the nation`s top sci-tech university, which was rattled by four consecutive suicides last year.

His body was found by a fellow student on the lawn in a dormitory complex at 5:40 a.m. The senior was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.

Police assume that the man jumped from the 15th floor of the building. Surveillance camera footage obtained by police showed the senior taking the elevator to the 15th floor to enter the rooftop.

Entering the university in 2007, the student returned to school in February this year after completing his mandatory military service. He was known to be an excellent student. When the university held mental evaluations of students this month for one-on-one talks with those suffering from depression, he was exempted from the list.

The student left a note inside his room that reportedly said, "I used to be happy in whatever I did. My passion is gone." Police are investigating the reasons for which he might have committed suicide.

An acquaintance of the senior said his suicide was unexpected, while a fellow senior said, "He was an excellent student and optimistic. He worried about his career, but wasn`t taking it seriously."

Following a chain of suicides last year, KAIST abolished its policy of granting scholarships by grades, while easing its English-only lectures. The latest suicide, however, set off more alarm bells in the school.

mhjee@donga.com