One in 5 international student deaths in Korea suicides, spurring mental health calls
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About 1 in 5 international students who died in Korea over the past six years took their own lives, fueling calls for stronger mental health support as their numbers in the country continue to grow.
According to data the Ministry of Education submitted to Rep. Kim Moon-soo on Monday after surveying some 350 universities nationwide, 84 international students at Korean universities died between 2021 and this year.
Accidents, including traffic accidents, caused the most deaths at 34 cases, followed by illness at 23, suicide at 15, undetermined causes at seven and other causes at five.
The annual number of international student deaths was 12 in 2021, 16 in 2022, seven in 2023, 13 in 2024 and 21 in 2025, with 15 recorded so far this year.
Suicides fell from four in 2021 to one in 2022, then dropped to zero in 2023 before rising to five in 2024, three in 2025 and two so far this year.
International students often face difficulties adjusting to life in Korea, including language barriers, unfamiliar culture and academic stress.
In 2024, the death of an African graduate student at Chonnam National University, who had struggled with academic stress, drew calls for schools and education authorities to pay closer attention to international students' mental health.
According to the education ministry, the number of international students at Korean universities, including graduate schools, reached 307,464 as of April, up 21.3 percent from a year before.
Earlier this month, the ministry unveiled its strategy for fostering international student talent, pledging to strengthen university and community support to help them settle into academic and daily life.
The plan includes strengthening indicators on areas including adaptation program operations when evaluating universities under the International Education Quality Assurance System, which certifies universities based on their internationalization capacity.
"Rather than focusing on increasing the number of international students, we need a careful prevention system so that they do not take their own lives," Kim said, adding that existing mental health programs should be strengthened to prevent suicides early.
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide, contact Korea's Suicide Crisis hotline at 109. For foreign language assistance to connect with mental health professionals, call Danuri Portal's helpline at 1577-1366.