Nearly half of Koreans who received emergency medical care due to self-harm, including attempted suicide, in 2023 were in their teens or 20s, government data showed Thursday.
Of the 5.83 million people taken to emergency rooms in 2023, 46,359 were treated for self-inflicted injuries with intent to harm themselves or take their own lives, according to the National Emergency Medical Center. In 2,289 cases, the victims died.
Those in their 20s accounted for 12,592 of the self-inflicted injuries, followed by 8,308 among teens, 6,590 in their 30s, 6,159 in their 40s, 3,441 in their 60s, 2,081 in their 70s, and 1,839 in their 80s.
Relative to the population size of each age group, the figures translate to approximately one out of every 200 Koreans in their 20s and one in every 178 teens engaging in intentional self-harm that year.
The number of people who engaged in self-harm or attempted suicide fell slightly from 42,366 in 2021 to 41,955 in 2022, before jumping 10 percent in 2023. Women accounted for 63.9 percent of the 2023 figure.
South Korea has the highest suicide rate, defined as the number of deaths by suicide per 100,000 people, among all members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD data for 2020 shows that South Korea's suicide rate of 24.1 per 100,000 is more than twice the OECD average of 10.6 and significantly more than that of the country with the second-highest rate, Lithuania, at 20.3.
The country's already high suicide rate has continued to rise in recent years. Data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare shows there were 27.3 suicides per 100,000 people in 2023, up from 25.2 per 100,000 in 2022.
If you’re thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s helpline on 1393, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.
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