Suicide Deaths Decline for 11th Consecutive Month... Government to Strengthen Public-Private Cooperation

As the number of suicide deaths has decreased compared to the same month of the previous year for 11 consecutive months, the government is strengthening public-private cooperation to maintain this downward trend.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it held the 9th Public-Private Council for Respecting Life at Samjung Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, today (Nov. 3), bringing together representatives from government ministries, religious circles, the business sector, and labor groups to discuss suicide prevention achievements and future cooperative measures.

Launched in 2018 based on the Suicide Prevention Act, the public-private council includes 43 private organizations from religious, business, labor, media, and academic circles, alongside six government ministries: the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (noted as Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in general context, though translated faithfully from the official ministry name), and the National Police Agency.

Participants shared key details of the 6th Basic Plan for Suicide Prevention announced by the government last month, as well as the achievements of various suicide prevention activities across private sectors, while discussing future directions for development.


Through the 6th plan announced on October 12, the government aims to reduce the suicide rate per 100,000 people to 18.9 by 2030, which is more than 30% lower than its peak level.

The government plans to further reinforce public-private cooperation to sustain the positive trend of declining suicide deaths compared to the same month last year, which has continued for 11 straight months.

 ※ If you or someone you know is suffering from depression or other difficult concerns, professional counseling is available 24 hours a day through the suicide prevention hotline ☎109 or the suicide prevention SNS counseling service "Madeulran".

(Photo provided by J이제석광고연구소 - Je Suk Park Advertising Agency, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.