This file photo taken Sept. 10, 2023, shows a statue installed on a bridge over the Han River for the prevention of suicide. (Yonhap) SEOUL, June 14 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of South Koreans taking their own lives soared nearly 34 percent in January from a year earlier, data showed Friday.
The number of suicides reached 1,321 in January, an increase of 334 from the previous year, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which was released during the government’s meeting on suicide prevention. The ministry attributed the sharp rise in suicides in January to a so-called copycat suicide effect after a famous person committed suicide in December last year, urging media outlets to be prudent when reporting suicides of celebrities. In January, male suicides rose by 44 percent, while female suicides increased by 10.
4 percent. The total number of suicides came to 13,770 in 2023 as well, rising 6.7 percent from the previous year.
To address the rising number of suicides, the government held panel meetings on prevention in April and May, where experts suggested that media coverage of celebrity suicides contributed to the increase. The government urged media outlets to refrain from detailing methods, locations and motivations in suicide news coverage and to avoid using euphemisms like “radical decision,” which are often used to describe suicides. The government also announced that it will unveil guidelines on suicide reporting for other media platforms, suc.
