The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Life Respect Hope Foundation held a life-saving tube floating event in the shape of 109 on the Han River in Seoul to promote the suicide prevention hotline 109. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government is intensifying its suicide prevention efforts in collaboration with local authorities as suicide deaths are expected to continue their upward trend from last year.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on February 11 that Second Vice Minister Park Min-soo held a meeting with deputy governors and mental health officials from 17 cities and provinces to discuss suicide prevention programs and the national mental health support initiative.
According to ministry data, 13,271 suicide deaths were recorded from January to November last year, averaging over 1,000 deaths per month. This suggests the annual total may exceed the 13,978 deaths recorded in 2023. The number had previously decreased from 13,352 in 2021 to 12,906 in 2022 before rising again in 2023.
Research indicates that suicide attempt survivors have a 25 times higher suicide rate compared to the general population, while family members of suicide victims are 10 times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts, according to the 2013 National Suicide Survey and 2022 psychological autopsy reports.
The government plans to strengthen support for high-risk groups, including suicide attempt survivors and bereaved families. Local authorities will enhance case management services for suicide attempt survivors, maintain contact with those who initially refuse services, and expand treatment cost support for young adults who attempt suicide.
The “one-stop support service” for families of suicide victims, which provides temporary housing, cleaning services, and administrative and legal assistance, will be expanded from nine provinces and cities to 12 this year.
Since July of last year, the national mental health support program has provided 241,524 counseling sessions through 1,291 service providers to individuals experiencing depression and anxiety. The ministry plans to streamline service procedures and relax facility requirements to improve accessibility this year.
“We will continue our efforts to create a society that is safe from suicide and mentally healthy through cooperation with local governments,” Park said.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
