The health ministry has vowed to focus on boosting suicide prevention measures after deaths by suicide reached a 13-year high last year. 

The ministry made the pledge in a statement on Thursday, adding that it regards the nation’s high suicide rate as a serious matter. 

The ministry said it will focus on thoroughly implementing its 2025 national suicide prevention strategy, which aims to bring the number of suicide deaths below ten-thousand within the next five years.

The ministry said various factors are likely to have led to last year's rise, including problems faced by middle-aged and older adults, such as retirement and debt; suicide by celebrities and related media coverage; and a shortage of mental health and suicide prevention personnel in rural areas. 

Earlier in the day, Statistics Korea released data showing that suicides accounted for 14-thousand-872 deaths in 2024, an on-year increase of six-point-four percent and the highest figure since 2011. 

According to the data, 29-point-one deaths by suicide were recorded for every 100 thousand people last year, the largest since 31-point-seven deaths were reported in 2011.