President Lee Jae-myung: "Drop in Suicide Deaths Is Our Greatest Achievement… We Must Cut It in Half"

▲ President Lee Jae-myung

President Lee Jae-myung mentioned the decrease in the number of suicide deaths in the first half of this year, stating, "Among our government's various achievements, this is the most meaningful and greatest one."

President Lee shared a post today (the 28th) on his social media by Na Jong-ho, a U.S. psychiatrist and addiction specialist, writing, "Is there anything as precious as a human life?"

Professor Na Jong-ho wrote that the number of suicide deaths in the first half of this year decreased by 910, or 12.7%, compared to last year, adding, "I think this is something the entire nation should rejoice over."

President Lee stated, "Is there anything as precious as a human life?" and added, "I deeply thank and commend the Prime Minister, as the person in charge, and all related workers for their dedication, and I ask them to redouble their efforts."

At the same time, he emphasized, "However, we still have a long way to go. We must cut the current number of suicides in half."

President Lee pointed out, "While practical response measures such as manpower, organization, and budget are important, the most fundamental countermeasure is creating a hopeful society, and the core of creating hope is livelihood issues—namely, improving people's livelihoods."

He went on to explain, "This is why it was our top priority for the government to focus on the economy and people's livelihoods, and to reverse the economic growth rate that has fallen into the 0% range," adding, "Let us create a world of hope together."

President Lee also included the hashtags "#GovernmentThatSavesLives" and "#Salja" (a play on the word for suicide, "sal-ja," which spells "let's live" when read in reverse) in his post.

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