Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Korea sets ambitious goal of cutting suicide rate by 40% in 10 years
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok speaks to a crisis counselor at a suicide prevention center in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
As 40 people take own lives each day, gov’t moves to reverse grim pattern
The Korean government on Friday announced a new initiative to tackle the country’s suicide rate, which remains the highest among OECD countries for the 22nd consecutive year, setting an ambitious goal of reducing it by nearly half in the next 10 years.
Last year, more than 14,400 Koreans took their own lives ― an average of 40 deaths per day. Under the 2025 national suicide prevention strategy, the government set out to cut annual suicide deaths to below 10,000 within five years and to lower the suicide rate from 28.3 per 100,000 people in 2024 to 17 by 2034. Officials said they set the 2034 target by referencing Lithuania’s rate of 17.1, which is the second-highest among OECD member states.
To reach these targets, authorities plan to intensify support and supervision, particularly for high-risk groups such as suicide attempt survivors and bereaved family members.
“There were some reservations about setting the goal, but simply saying ‘we would make an effort’ was not enough, so we have decided to set a challenging goal,” Lee Hyung-hoon, second vice minister of health and welfare, said during a meeting at the government complex in Seoul.
The government strategy will mobilize all ministries and local governments to address crisis triggers ― including financial hardship ― through proactive interventions.
Specifically, emergency room data from suicide attempts will now be automatically shared with local suicide prevention centers, enabling immediate response and support. Previously, local officials were informed only if requested by police or fire departments and consented to by the person.
The health ministry will expand from 92 to 98 suicide risk response centers next year. Their roles include providing counseling and psychological assessment for people who have attempted suicide or self-harm and offering economic support to high-risk individuals, including relatives of people who have died by suicide.
To support people struggling with debt or illegal debt collection, the government plans to purchase and write off long-term overdue loans ― specifically those held by small business owners and individuals that have been overdue for at least seven years and are worth less than 50 million won ($36,000).
To help tackle root causes of the program, the Ministry of Education is strengthening school violence prevention and expanding support for victims. The Ministry of Employment and Labor is intensifying prevention education and consulting to combat workplace bullying, as well as strictly enforcing labor inspections and penalties against firms when serious incidents occur.
Meanwhile, the health ministry plans to help revise the law to strengthen support for those who are struggling with addiction issues.
Innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence for counseling analysis and online risk monitoring, will also be used to improve suicide risk detection. Two additional national suicide hotline centers are set to open next year.
“We may not have entirely new countermeasures, but even the existing ones can yield different results depending on the attention and effort of the local and central governments. The new administration will respond strongly and with full commitment and a heightened sense of urgency and determination,” the second vice minister of health said.
On Wednesday, 115 legislators proposed a resolution declaring that the government is responsible for keeping its citizens “safe and happy” and vowing to help significantly reduce the suicide rate.