Seoul education officials unveil initiative to combat rising student suicide rates
Published: 11 Sep. 2025, 08:11
![Jung Geun-sik, Seoul superintendent of education, announces a comprehensive plan to improve student mental health at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Sept. 10. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN OFFICE OF EDUCATION]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/11/69c03534-75c8-49e5-b18f-3fcf16b05fe2.jpg)
Jung Geun-sik, Seoul superintendent of education, announces a comprehensive plan to improve student mental health at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Sept. 10. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN OFFICE OF EDUCATION]
In Seoul, student suicides have almost tripled since 2020. On Wednesday, Seoul’s education authorities unveiled a sweeping plan to strengthen mental health support in schools and cut the youth suicide rate in half within five years.
In a recent case, a high school student in Seoul who had repeatedly harmed herself needed emergency hospitalization, but her parents struggled to find a psychiatric ward that would admit her. With the help of her school counselor, the Seoul Seobu District Office of Education secured a spot, and after three weeks of treatment, she was well enough to return to class.
On Wednesday, World Suicide Prevention Day, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) announced a comprehensive plan to protect the mental health of students in crisis.
Superintendent Jung Geun-sik said at a press conference that “students’ mental health indicators have worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic, and the proportion of those urgently needing expert help has increased.”
Relevant agencies have worked together on countermeasures to cut the student suicide rate in half within the next five years," he added.
The number of students in Seoul who died by suicide last year rose 111 percent from the previous year and 182 percent compared to 2020, at the start of the pandemic, according to the office. The number of students who attempted suicide or engaged in self-harm surged 113 percent from the previous year and more than tenfold — 1,066 percent — compared to 2020.
“More students are being hurt by messages on social media and increasingly imitating the self-harm of their peers," an education office official said.
![A high school student solves exam problems at a school in Daejeon on Sept. 3 in this photo unrelated to the story. [KIM SUNG-TAE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/11/f79dcbcb-7de7-4e8a-a11d-7d132426078f.jpg)
A high school student solves exam problems at a school in Daejeon on Sept. 3 in this photo unrelated to the story. [KIM SUNG-TAE]
The SMOE plans to open a “Healing School” next September to support students facing psychological and emotional crises. The agency, which will operate as an alternative education consignment institution, will provide both treatment and academic instruction to help students return to school life and will be able to accommodate up to 45 students.
In addition, the office will place professional counselors in every school. Until now, counselors mainly worked in middle and high schools, but rising numbers of at-risk students in elementary schools prompted the expansion. The city will hire at least 50 new counselors each year for the next five years.
The city will also launch a 24-hour “Seoul Student Integrated Call Center,” which will link students directly with education officials. Unlike existing call centers, which are difficult for schools to use because they serve both adults and children across different agencies, the new center will provide a dedicated response system for students.
The plan sets a minimum standard of intervention within 48 hours when signs of crisis are reported. In emergencies, officials will immediately request police or fire services or dispatch an emergency response team within an hour. Each of the 11 district education offices will be paired with a designated hospital to strengthen preventive and postcrisis care, ensuring close coordination between schools and mental health professionals.
The office will also cover treatment costs of up to 2.7 million won ($1,943) for students who attempt suicide or engage in self-harm.
Superintendent Jung said the integrated support system will allow schools, education offices and local communities to work as one, adding that “we will detect even the smallest warning signs in the classroom and connect them to support within 48 hours.”
If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM MIN-SANG, LEE BO-RAM [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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