South Korea and Venezuela: a parallel concerning death

After the argument between the South Korean and Venezuelan delegations, the issue in regards to which cause of death is "worse" has arisen amidst those present in the General Assembly of ONU Vital. Following that, the concern about insensitive allegations has also emerged, turning into a moral dilemma that problematizes one's disregard to economic and structural matters in each society.

To start with, it is extremely necessary to say that South Korea has the 4th highest suicide rate, counting 28.6 suicides per 100k people in 2022. Some causes for Korea's suicide rate include pressure at school and work, shame over seeking help for depression and a lack of social protection for the elderly, experts say. That exposes the iminent neglect of the South Korean government to cooperate with mental health focused solutions.

On the other hand, Venezuela, former oil capital of the world, is well-known for its biggest financial crisis in 2015, fact that engulfed the society in extreme poverty and hunger. This fact, alongside research like The New York Times' (21 public hospitals were tracked in Venezuela and doctors saw record numbers of children with severe malnutrition) and the alleged consumption of domestic animals due to food shortage, contributes to the idea of poverty as one of the main causes of death.

All in all, it is quite perilous to simply categorize and compare two totally different societies, specially in regards to such sensitive topic as death, as they have distinct cultural, economic and social aspects. Sadly, being a mirror of today's polarization, Venezuela and South Korea are mainly used as a mechanism for the futile argument that traces back to the Cold War.