AI cameras spot suicide attempts in South Korea’s capital

Seoul's Han River, a prominent landmark, is also a site of frequent despair, with the city deploying AI-powered cameras on its bridges to combat a high national suicide rate. The artificial intelligence surveillance system is designed to alert first responders if individuals linger in specific areas, enter unsafe zones, or use dedicated suicide-prevention phones.

This technology has proven remarkably effective. Kim Jun-young, chief of the Hangang Bridge CCTV Integrated Control Center, reported that the rescue rate over the river has surged to over 99 percent, a dramatic increase from 56 percent in 2012. Emergency crews can reach most bridges within the critical five-minute window needed to intervene and save a life.

"We see our role as giving them one more chance to think it over, because it may not be the decision you want," Kim told AFP, emphasizing the system's aim to provide a moment of pause. In 2025, nearly 900 cameras on 17 bridges identified over 1,200 incidents, though tragically, about eight individuals could not be saved.

Despite these efforts, South Korea grapples with a broader suicide crisis, which President Lee Jae Myung has called "a disgrace on the world stage." The suicide rate in 2024 exceeded 29 deaths per 100,000 people, the highest since 2011, and it remains the leading cause of death for individuals aged 10 to 49. Experts cite relentless academic pressure, heavy workloads, and a culture that often blames individuals for failure as contributing factors to people's difficulty in coping with setbacks or seeking help.

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We see our role as giving them one more chance to think it over, because it may not be the decision you want.