State data showed that in the last five years and six months, 100 teachers from public elementary, middle and high schools committed suicide, more than half of whom were elementary school teachers.

The office of Rep. Chung Kyung-hee of the ruling People Power Party, a member of the parliamentary education committee, said on Sunday that it analyzed data from the education offices of 17 cities and provinces compiled by the Education Ministry.

The analysis finds that 100 teachers took their own lives between 2018 and late June this year.

Teachers from elementary schools accounted for the largest portion with 57, followed by high school teachers with 28 and middle school teachers with 15.

As for the reasons for the suicides, 70 teachers took their lives for "unknown" reasons, while depression and panic disorder were cited as the reasons for 16 deaths.

The number of teachers who committed suicide gradually increased from 14 in 2018 to 22 in 2021, then decreased slightly to 19 in 2022. The figure marked eleven already in the first half of this year.