President Lee Jae-myung expressed his concern over the increasing youth suicide rates despite national suicide prevention measures and pledged to work towards minimizing this issue.
On September 23, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), President Lee stated, "Since the implementation of national suicide prevention measures after my inauguration last year, overall suicide deaths have consistently decreased by more than 10%. However, it is truly regrettable that the youth suicide rate, particularly due to academic pressures, is on the rise."
He added, "I will continuously pay attention and strive to minimize this unfortunate reality," emphasizing that the government is fully committed to saving lives from suicide, accidental deaths, and crime-related fatalities.
President Lee remarked, "Nothing is more precious than life," and stressed that addressing issues such as poverty, suffering, loneliness, and despair—conditions often more challenging than death—is central to policy efforts.
According to an article linked by the president, the National Data Agency released the '2025 Cause of Death Statistics' on September 22. While the overall suicide rate decreased for the first time in three years last year, the suicide rate among teenagers was the only age group to rise, increasing to 8.6 per 100,000 people from 8.0 the previous year, marking the highest level since relevant statistics began being compiled.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.