Gov't finalizes 6th Suicide Prevention Basic Plan

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 te