Korea’s suicide rate signals a public health crisis

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Korea’s suicide rate signals a public health crisis

Published: 25 Apr. 2025, 00:04

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Baek Jong-woo

The author is a professor of psychiatry at Kyung Hee University Hospital.

Suicide is a devastating public health issue that inflicts irreversible pain on individuals, families and communities. The World Health Organization defines suicide not as a private tragedy but as a profound societal failure — one demanding systemic and urgent public intervention.

In Korea, conversations about public health crises often invoke pandemics like that of Covid-19. Between January 2020 and the end of 2022, the virus claimed 32,156 lives in the country, with a fatality rate of 0.13 percent. Among the 30 nations most affected by Covid-19, Korea recorded the lowest death rate — an outcome credited to its well-functioning health care infrastructure.

Yet during the same three-year period, Korea lost 39,267 lives to suicide — significantly more than it did to the virus. While cancer remains the leading cause of death in Korea, the country maintains relatively low cancer mortality rates and high survival rates among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member states. Effective early detection programs, strong medical systems and affordable treatment options have been instrumental in this success.

A message aimed at preventing suicide is posted on the railing of Cheomdan Bridge in Gwangsan District, Gwangju, on July 3, 2023. The Gwangju Gwangsan Fire Station, in cooperation with the Gwangju Suicide Prevention Center, attached signs displaying counseling hotline numbers to the bridge in an effort to deter suicide attempts. [GWANGJU GWANGSAN FIRE STATION]

In contrast, Korea continues to grapple with high suicide rates. In 2023, 14,439 people died by suicide. Suicide is now the No. 5 cause of death in the country.

Research published in 2019 comparing national suicide prevention programs revealed that countries such as Australia, Finland, Norway and Sweden — which implemented coordinated plans — saw notable declines in suicide rates within five years. In contrast, nations like Canada, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark, which lacked such national strategies, showed no comparable improvement.

Why has Korea’s public health system, praised for its response to cancer and infectious diseases, faltered when it comes to suicide?

One stark indicator lies in the erosion of social support networks. Among OECD countries, Korea has the highest suicide rate, yet nearly 20 percent of Koreans say they have no one — neither family nor friends — to turn to during difficult times. This reflects a critically low level of social cohesion.

Suicide is not just a personal crisis — it signals the collapse of communal bonds. Traditional support structures, such as extended families and neighborhood networks, once helped buffer individuals in crisis. Today, these supports have largely vanished, leaving a vacuum. Economic stagnation, hyper-competition, inequality and persistent stigma have all contributed to the rise in suicides, creating a risk-prone society.

Despite repeated warnings from mental health experts, Korea’s suicide prevention policies often remain symbolic rather than substantive. Other countries have responded more decisively. In the United States, the government launched the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline during the pandemic, investing roughly 1.3 trillion won ($906 million) to expand counseling services, dispatch crisis response teams and provide outreach. Australia spends around 90 billion won annually to coordinate efforts among schools, hospitals, police, civil society and the media. The result: a reduction greater than 20 percent to suicide rates in areas where the program has been implemented.

Japan responded to a rise in youth suicides during the pandemic by establishing a new Children and Families Agency and deploying multidisciplinary mental health crisis teams in municipalities. The government also supports grassroots efforts like the Bond Project, in which volunteers visit vulnerable teens to offer warm meals and guidance to shelters.

In Korea, however, even well-intentioned laws often falter in practice. Following the tragic 2018 death of Dr. Lim Se-won, a psychiatrist who was fatally stabbed by a patient, the government created regional psychiatric emergency centers. These facilities are supposed to offer round-the-clock care for individuals at risk of suicide, yet each center operates on an annual budget of just 300 million won — insufficient to hire trained personnel.

A so-called Phone of Life on the Mapo Bridge in western Seoul, which suicidal people can use to get help [YONHAP]

A law mandating that those who attempt suicide be referred to mental health and suicide prevention centers has passed, but personnel have not increased. Consent for follow-up services is solicited only via text message, resulting in a low response rate of about 20 percent. Meanwhile, a law requiring suicide prevention training for public institutions, schools and health care providers is often fulfilled through superficial online modules.

No matter how well-conceived a national suicide prevention plan may be, it cannot succeed without adequate funding, skilled personnel and a coordinated public-private support network. Korea must move beyond declarative policy statements and adopt action-oriented effective measures. If a nationwide rollout is difficult, then targeted pilot programs should be launched in select regions. These should be thoroughly evaluated for both suicide reduction and broader social and economic impact, then scaled up across the country.

Suicide is already a pressing public health emergency in Korea. But failing to respond with urgency is the gravest crisis of all.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.