Thai woman in South Korea driven to suicide by financial pressure from creditor
A Thai woman living in South Korea died by suicide after allegedly facing financial pressure from excessive interest payments and public humiliation by a creditor.
The deceased was identified as 40 year old Areerat. Her body was discovered in a rented room in Seoul two days after her South Korean husband reported her missing to local police. Areerat was originally from Ubon Ratchathani and had moved to South Korea after marrying her husband.
Her older sister, 42 year old Anchalee, told ThaiRath that the family first became concerned after seeing social media posts from Areerat’s friends expressing condolences over her death. Anchalee said Areerat’s 13 year old daughter later contacted the family to confirm the news.
According to Anchalee, Areerat had worked overseas since the age of 20 and had previously lived and worked in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea. The family acknowledged that she initially worked in the country illegally before later obtaining legal residency through marriage.
Areerat had lived in South Korea for around 15 years. She previously worked in a factory before starting a small business importing Thai food ingredients, kitchen utensils, and other products for sale to Thai residents in South Korea.
She reportedly lived alone in a rented room to support the business while her husband and daughter stayed at another residence located further away.
Anchalee said the family had not known about Areerat’s financial difficulties until after her death, when friends shared details of her situation.
According to friends, Areerat experienced cash flow problems after allowing customers to pay in instalments and regularly offering discounts.
Without sufficient operating funds, she allegedly borrowed 30 million won, approximately 650,000 baht, from another Thai woman living in South Korea.
Friends claimed Areerat had repaid the original amount, but the lender allegedly continued charging excessive interest rates that reportedly doubled the debt burden.
The friends said the financial pressure caused a significant stress for Areeya. Before her death, she reportedly posted a farewell video message to friends on Facebook.
Friends further alleged the creditor publicly shamed Areerat online by exposing details of the debt and making comments encouraging her to harm herself.
After seeing the video, friends and a former employer reportedly attempted to contact and help her but were unable to intervene in time. They also told the family that Areerat had struggled with depression for more than five years.
In interviews with Thai media, family members said they were still unable to fully accept the loss and hoped she would find peace after death.
If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.
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