What measures are included in Korea’s sixth Suicide Prevention Basic Plan?

The plan calls for a national suicide response office, expanded staffing at suicide prevention centers, temporary shelters, increased medical-expense support and counseling for students and high-stress occupational groups such as military personnel, police and firefighters.

Why did Korea finalize its sixth Suicide Prevention Basic Plan earlier than expected?

The government moved up the sixth plan after Korea’s suicide rate surged to 29.1 deaths per 100,000 people in 2024. The previous fifth plan, announced in 2023, had been scheduled to continue through 2027.

How will technology and financial support be used in Korea’s suicide prevention strategy?

Artificial intelligence will be used to predict suicide risks, while the government plans to help high-risk groups restructure long-term debts and receive emergency living expenses. Officials also said medical expenses and psychological counseling would receive greater support.

Gov't finalizes 6th Suicide Prevention Basic Plan

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Summary

The government finalized the sixth Suicide Prevention Basic Plan on Monday at a suicide prevention policy committee meeting in Seoul. The plan responds to a rise in Korea’s suicide rate to 29.1 per 100,000 people in 2024, although the rate fell to 27.8 in 2025. Its BASIC strategy combines safety nets, outreach, structural support, integrated care and community accountability, including expanded counseling, financial assistance and artificial intelligence risk prediction.

Key Facts

Suicide deaths totaled 7,432 between January and July this year, down 12.3 percent, or 1,043 deaths, from the same period last year.
The government plans to raise staffing at suicide prevention centers nationwide to 7.1 people by 2027 from the current five people.
The sixth plan was introduced earlier than scheduled after suicide rates spiked in 2024, while the fifth plan had been set to run through 2027.
The government plans to establish a national suicide response office, operate temporary shelters and support medical expenses and emergency living costs for high-risk groups.
The plan includes debt restructuring, counseling for students and high-stress occupational groups, and artificial intelligence to predict suicide risks.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 12, 2026 4:13 pm KST

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook speaks during the 11th meeting of the Suicide Prevention Policy Committee held at Government Complex Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

The government on Monday finalized a package of measures aimed at preventing suicide in a nation that has outstripped other developed countries in terms of suicide rates for more than two decades.

The sixth Suicide Prevention Basic Plan was finalized during a meeting of the suicide prevention policy committee presided over by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook. The measures include reducing motivation for suicide and offering psychological care and counseling.

Korea has charted out the suicide prevention basic plan every five years starting in 2004 in an effort to curb suicide rates. The fifth basic plan was announced in 2023 for a period through 2027, but the government came up with the sixth plan earlier than scheduled as suicide rates spiked in 2024.

Korea's suicide rate, which refers to the number of suicide deaths per 100,000 people a year, surged to 29.1 in 2024, but fell back to 27.8 in 2025. This year, suicide deaths totaled 7,432 between January and July, down 12.3 percent, or 1,043, from the same period last year.

The country has been at the top among the OECD member countries in terms of suicide rates since 2003, except for 2017, when the country was in second place following Lithuania's accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Officials said the sixth basic plan calls for "BASIC" strategy, the acronym for basic safety net, active outreach, structural support, integrated care and community accountability.

Under the measures, the government plans to establish the national suicide response office and increase the number of personnel at the suicide prevention centers across the nation to 7.1 people by 2027 from the current five people while operating temporary shelters and raising the financial support for medical expenses.

Artificial intelligence will be used to predict suicide risks and the government will also help restructure long-term debts, offer emergency living expenses for high-risk groups and provide counseling for students and high-stress occupational groups, such as military, police and firefighters, officials said.

"Safeguarding the people's lives is an important obligation of the country," Han said. "Suicide is not just an issue for a specific ministry, but a matter that the entire government should take responsibility for and address."

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