'A national crisis': Suicide deaths rising among middle-aged Korean men amid economic woes

Home > National > Social Affairs

'A national crisis': Suicide deaths rising among middle-aged Korean men amid economic woes

Published: 28 Apr. 2025, 12:13 Updated: 28 Apr. 2025, 20:59

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A SOS Life Line phone is installed at a bridge in Seoul in this photo provided by the Life Insurance Social Responsibility Foundation. [LIFE INSURANCE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOUNDATION]

Korea is facing a surge in suicides among men in their 30s to 50s, driven by worsening economic hardship, social isolation and high-profile celebrity deaths, highlighting urgent calls for stronger national suicide prevention measures.

Last year, a man in his 40s stood in front of the SOS lifeline phone installed at Seoul’s Mapo Bridge. Facing financial difficulties, he said he came there with thoughts of ending his life.

While holding the phone, he told the responder, “After becoming credit-impaired, I tried my best but everything fell apart.” He added, “My wife divorced me, and I have nothing left — I cannot get a proper job and I survive on daily labor, but even that is becoming harder.”

The surge in suicides in 2023 and last year was driven in large part by men in their 30s, 40s and 50s, the economic backbone of society. The past two years saw the highest number of suicides among men in this group over the past decade.

The sharp increase in suicides among this cohort is attributed to the economic crisis hitting small business owners and the Werther effect triggered by the death of celebrities such as Lee Sun-kyun.

With political turmoil and a deepening social anomie this year, there are growing calls for urgent measures to prevent more deaths.

The number of suicides last year was 14,439, in preliminary figures, with a suicide rate of 28.3 per 100,000 people, according to Statistics Korea on Sunday. Both figures increased for the second consecutive year. The number of suicides was the highest since 2011, when the country was still feeling the aftershocks of the global financial crisis.

A street of small-business restaurants in Hongdae of Mapo District is seen on March 11, as Korea reported decreasing industry sentiment indexes among small-business restaurants in the first quarter of the year. [YONHAP]

The number of counseling sessions for high-risk suicide groups last year was 651,040, a 41.2 percent increase from 2020, according to data obtained by Rep. Suh Myung-ok of the People Power Party (PPP) from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Korea’s suicide rate, already the highest among OECD countries, is raising further alarm.

By gender and age group, suicide deaths among men in their 30s, 40s and 50s showed double-digit increases, each increasing 15.7 percent, 13.8 percent and 11.9 percent, respectively. Combined, suicides among men in these age groups rose by 13.4 percent to 5,603 last year, compared to the previous year.

The number of deaths among this group surged past the 5,000 mark for the first time since 2019 and was the largest since 2014, when it reached 5,771. Unusually, suicides among this demographic surged during both the early — January to April — and late — October to December — parts of the year.

The figures from this demographic stand in contrast to the decline in suicides among the elderly and women.

The unstable economic situation has become a trigger that directly hits the 30 to 50 year old age group that leads economic activities.

The Korean economy weakened further last year amid high interest rates, high inflation and declining wages. The fourth quarter growth rate came in at 0.1 percent quarter-on-quarter, well below the forecast of 0.5 percent. Employment numbers in December last year turned negative for the first time in 46 months.

A SOS Life Line phone box is seen at Mapo Bridge in Seoul on Feb. 24. Suicides among Koreans has been increasing in recent years. [NEWS1]

Small business owners have been in trouble for some time. Their numbers dropped to 5.66 million last year, ending a three-year streak of growth. Delinquency rates among the self-employed at savings banks and specialized credit finance companies hit the highest levels in nine years, while rates for small businesses were the highest in over 10 years, according to Bank of Korea data submitted to the National Assembly.

The heads of households thrown onto the economic front line were pushed to the brink. From January last year to March this year, the most common reason men aged 30 to 50 used the SOS lifelines installed on Han River bridges was “economic problems,” at 33.9 percent.

A report compiled by the Health and Welfare Ministry summarizing nine years of psychological autopsy cases between 2015 and 2023 supports this finding. Among middle-aged suicide victims from 35 to 49 years old, many were employees or self-employed.

Finance-related events, notably debt and reduced income, ranked second behind mental health issues as stressors before death. Housing rental and purchase debt were major contributing factors.

“We can confirm that economic stress and social isolation increase the risk of suicide among this group,” said Lee Ji-young, head of project operations at the Life Insurance Social Responsibility Foundation.

A SOS Life Line and high fences are installed at Mapo Bridge in Seoul on Feb. 27. [YONHAP]

“Since last year, the number of patients saying 'I’m about to close my business,' 'the economy has frozen' or 'I’m economically devastated' has significantly increased,” said Paik Jong-woo, a professor of psychiatry at Kyung Hee University Medical Center.

The death of actor Lee Sun-kyun in December 2023 also affected men in their 30s to 50s.

“Men in their 30s to 50s, who perceived Lee as a relatable, ordinary figure, were greatly shocked by his death,” said Hong Jin-pyo, a professor of psychiatry at Samsung Medical Center.

The Werther effect continued for more than two to three months due to this reason. The gradual collapse of family structures, traditionally emotional buffers, has exacerbated the crisis for these men.

The crisis continues this year. Political turmoil surrounding the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, the Jeju Air disaster and the death of actress Kim Sae-ron have fueled public anger. Following Kim’s death in February, suicide-related emergency reports in Seoul noticeably increased. The economy also darkened, with a first-quarter growth rate of minus 0.2 percent.

A message discouraging suicide is written in English along the post of Mapo Bridge in Seoul on Feb. 27. [YONHAP]

“The rise in suicides must be considered a national crisis,” the Korea Association for Suicide Prevention declared.

“Suicides increase during times of social turmoil. And the impeachment crisis, combined with global economic changes, has intensified the situation,” said Prof. Paik. “Many patients say they can no longer endure. We are facing a growing suicide crisis.”

“As society becomes more aggressive, more people are pushed to self-harm,” said Lee Dong-woo, a psychiatry professor at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital and head of the Korea Association for Suicide Prevention. “If slander and attacks dominate the presidential race, this trend may continue.”

Despite this crisis regarding suicide, Korea’s suicide prevention policies still lag behind those of advanced countries.

This year’s budget for suicide prevention and promoting respect for life is about 56.2 billion won ($39 million), according to data from the Health Ministry obtained by PPP Rep. Suh.

While this amount has gradually increased, it pales compared to Japan’s 830 billion won suicide prevention budget in 2021. The number of high-risk individuals linked to treatment dropped from 4,530 in 2020 to 2,213 last year.

A high fence intended to stop suicides is seen installed on Mapo Bridge in Seoul on Feb. 27. [YONHAP]

“Following the rise in suicide deaths, we have strengthened high-risk group management in cooperation with local governments since the end of last year,” said a Health Ministry official. “We will also expand one-stop services for suicide survivors and promote suicide prevention reporting guidelines.”

There are growing calls for more aggressive budget investments to encourage men in their 30s to 50s, who tend to be passive about counseling and treatment, to seek help and reduce the "social death" of public figures.

“Middle-aged men rarely attend self-help groups,” said Kang Myung-soo, president of a newly launched association of families of those who died by suicide. “We need to increase opportunities for face-to-face counseling to help alleviate their difficulties.”

“For suicide prevention, we must also change the social culture that severely punishes and condemns celebrities for missteps,” said Prof. Hong. “We need to move beyond the existing policy framework and work together with the public to internalize the value of respecting life.”

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JUNG JONG-HOON [[email protected]]