Korea's August suicides fall 8.3 percent as health ministry vows to expand crisis centers

South Korea's health ministry said Wednesday that suicide deaths fell 8.3 percent in August from a year earlier, and pledged to widen a network of hospital-based centers that follow up on people who attempt suicide.

The ministry reported 1,078 suicide deaths in August, 97 fewer than the 1,175 recorded in the same month of 2025, according to provisional statistics it released. Cumulative deaths from January through August totaled 8,533, down 1,117 from 9,650 in the same period last year.

Second Vice Minister Lee Hyung-hoon visited the Life Love Crisis Response Center at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital to hear about the difficulties staff face in following up with suicide attempters after they leave the emergency room, the ministry said.

The centers provide emergency treatment, initial assessment, case management and referrals to community services for people who arrive at emergency rooms after a suicide attempt, and operate at 100 medical institutions nationwide. In 2025, about 13,295 suicide attempters received such services, and 4,983 of them were referred to suicide prevention centers for continued support after their case management ended.

"The emergency room is the first button in helping a suicide attempter overcome a crisis and return to daily life," Lee said, according to the ministry. "Because the linkage rate to follow-up services and the effectiveness of intervention can depend on the people who meet and communicate with them early after the attempt, I ask for the active role of staff on the ground."

He thanked workers for their efforts "even under difficult conditions" and said the ministry would review the difficulties raised at the hospital and expand support.

The ministry set a target on Oct. 12 in its sixth basic plan for suicide prevention of cutting the suicide rate to 18.9 per 100,000 people or below by 2030, a reduction of more than 33.3 percent from the 2024 level of 29.1.