A Heartwarming Moment Born from Misunderstanding Captured on Video
Korea Records Highest Suicide Rate Among OECD Member Countries
A taxi driver was captured on video late at night, offering to take a passenger home instead of to their requested destination, Mapo Bridge. The driver was concerned about a potential extreme situation, and his considerate words have touched many online users.
On the 29th, various online communities and social networking services (SNS) featured a video titled "A Taxi Driver Going to Mapo Bridge with a Passenger Who Became Deep in Thought." The video, which was first uploaded to SNS in April, has recently resurfaced online, drawing renewed attention from internet users.
On the 29th, a video titled "A Taxi Driver Going to Mapo Bridge with a Customer Who Became Deep in Thought" was uploaded on various online communities and social networking services (SNS). Online communities
The video captured the voice of a taxi driver, who had been driving silently in a dark car, cautiously starting to speak. The driver was on the road after picking up a passenger who had set Mapo Bridge as the destination on the taxi-hailing app. After picking up the passenger, the driver said, "Today, I won’t charge you a fare. Let me take you home. Let’s go home." The passenger, surprised, responded, "What do you mean?" The driver asked again, "Didn’t you say you were going to Mapo Bridge?" The passenger then checked their mobile phone and apologized, saying, "I must have entered the wrong address. I meant to go to a nearby bar, but I made a mistake."
Upon hearing this, the driver breathed a sigh of relief and said sincerely, "Because your destination was Mapo Bridge, I was worried. I’m glad. I was worried the whole time I was driving." The passenger smiled and said, "I wasn’t thinking about anything like that," and the driver smiled back. Online, people commented, "You can see the driver glancing at the passenger before speaking, showing signs of worrying about whether to say something," "I’m proud to have adults like this driver in Korea," and "This warms my heart."
The video captured the voice of a taxi driver, who had been driving silently in a dark car, cautiously starting to speak. The driver was on the road after picking up a passenger who had set Mapo Bridge as the destination on the taxi-hailing app. Online community
According to the "2025 Statistics on Causes of Death" released by Statistics Korea on the 25th, the number of suicide deaths last year was 14,872, an increase of 894 (6.4%) from the previous year’s 13,978. This is the highest suicide rate among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The suicide mortality rate, which indicates the number of suicides per 100,000 people, was 29.1, up 1.8 (6.6%) from the previous year, marking the highest figure since 2011 (31.7). According to data submitted by Kim Gideok, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council from the Democratic Party of Korea, regarding "Suicide Attempts and Jumping Incidents by Han River Bridge Over the Past Five Years (2021-July 2025)" provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, there were 1,000 cases in 2022, 1,035 in 2023, and 1,272 last year, exceeding 1,000 cases for three consecutive years. In particular, as of July this year, there were 780 suicide attempts (including both survivors and fatalities) on Han River bridges, with Mapo Bridge accounting for 194 cases. Mapo Bridge also ranked highest last year, with 352 out of a total of 1,272 cases occurring there.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
