High death rate for middle-aged Korean men

A study showed that the death rate of men between the ages of 40 and 50 was three times higher than the corresponding rate for women of the same age. Cerebral disorders were the leading cause of death in Korea, followed by heart disease, traffic accidents, stomach cancer and liver disorders.

According to a study on causes of death conducted released Thursday by the National Statistical Office, if the death rate for women is 100, the rate for men in their 40s is 303.1 and stands at 288.2 for men in their 50s, giving the male age groups the top 2 positions in terms of death rates.

The death rate for men stands two times higher than that of women in their later teen years, and by the age of 40-50, it reaches the highest level of 3 times the rate for women. From the age of 60, the difference decreases.

An official from the NSO revealed that the main factors behind the significantly higher death rate of men in middle and old age are work-related stress and drinking and smoking, all of which are detrimental to health.

In relation to cause of death, cerebral disorders and heart disease were number 1 and 2 for both men and women. This was followed by traffic accidents, liver disorders and lung cancer for men and diabetes, stomach cancer and traffic accidents for women.

Death by suicide, at 16.1 people per 100,000, is lower than in it was in 1998, during the so-called ¡°IMF crisis¡± (19.9), but it is still much higher than the 9.8 recorded in 1990.

Kwon Soon-Hwal shkwon@donga.com