Korea to remove charcoal briquettes from store shelves to prevent suicide attempts

Charcoal briquettes / Korea Times file

The government and Korea’s retail industry agreed Wednesday to remove charcoal briquettes from open store displays in a move aimed at preventing suicide attempts.

The measure comes as nearly one in four suicide deaths in the country involve charcoal briquettes.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination said its Suicide Prevention Policy Office signed a memorandum of understanding with five retail industry groups at the Government Complex Seoul. The signatories included associations representing chain stores, convenience stores, supermarkets, online shopping platforms and campgrounds.

Under the agreement, retailers will no longer keep charcoal briquettes on store shelves and will instead provide them only upon customer request. Product packaging will also carry stickers displaying the suicide prevention hotline number, 109.

According to the office, 3,525 people died in 2024 from carbon monoxide poisoning involving charcoal briquettes, accounting for 23.7 percent of all suicide deaths that year. The government said the figure underscored the need to better manage access to the common household item and improve its retail environment.

“We thank the retail industry for voluntarily joining efforts to save lives,” said Yoon Chang-yul, minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

“The government will mobilize all available administrative and policy resources to ensure this change helps save as many lives as possible,” he said.

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.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.