In my Sociology of Development class here at the University of Costa Rica, we studied North and South Korea as development idols, The Asian Dragons, as they are often called. In the 50's Raul Prebisch and CEPAL, or ECLAC in English, developed a plan to bring Latin America out of the drudgery of sub-development, though a program called Industrialization through Import Substitution. This import substitution strategy was to follow 5 steps that brought Latin America into competition with the world market, by increasing its technological industrialization. In this way, the countries of Latin America could supply themselves with household goods like radios, and eventually more advanced products, without relying only on the export of primary goods, and the import of technology.


The problem with this strategy is it didn't work. Latin America moved on to structure their economy on Dependency theory of Theotonio Dos Santos and Gunder Frank, by becoming more socialist and attempting to remove themselves from the world market altogether.

All the while however, the Asian Dragons were applying Import Substitution strategies, and having great success. The problem was not the theory, it was its application along with historical and cultural idiosyncrasies. The point is, the Asian Dragons have improved the quality of life for their people, increased their GDP, and become a major competitor in the world marker, as well as having strong investment power.

But apparently, this has caused intellectual pressure on Koreans, and they want to kill themselves. In fact, so many are considering, or researching the possibilities, that the government is taking steps to make discussion, or the aiding of suicide illegal. The International Herald Tribune has a great article about this phenomenon, that inspired this post. One of the measures the government is taking is making posts about suicide illegal, erasing them or arresting people who aid or want to kill themselves, with or without the company of others.


I have never known anyone who has killed themselves and hope to never have the experience. I can say though, losing a loved one is the most awful thing to happen, and can destroy a part of you. However, I don't agree with the grand theory that each person's life is precious and should be protected, managed, or legally bound to life. What I believe is that everyone else's is to be respected, but yours belongs to you, not the government and not your family. In Korea, advertisements argue suicide on the grounds that your life is important to your family. I agree, and I want to keep my family around living with me too. However, ultimately, one's life is one's own, and for the entire stretch of it, your life is yours, and you have to be with you, not your family.

I hate to see more and more freedoms dissolved as we march towards heavy government control over our own bodies. Even the US, a country where we are free to express ourselves and supposedly have the right to happiness, we are not allowed to end our lives. In Korea, maybe the lives and bodies of Koreans belong to the government, so they can maintain high economic status, and if that is the case, that, is what the government should say in those ads.