South Korea to Intensify Management of High-Suicide-Risk Locations with New Safety Measures

South Korea's government will implement a data-driven strategy to manage locations prone to suicides, aiming to enhance rapid rescue and prevention efforts. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced a joint plan with relevant ministries to establish a customized safety and detection system for these high-risk areas.

This initiative is part of a broader national suicide prevention strategy. Recognizing the impossibility of controlling all potential suicide sites, the government will prioritize locations based on frequency and characteristics. Previously, safety facilities like fences and CCTV were installed sporadically by individual entities, hindering systematic analysis and follow-up.

The plan involves identifying urgent locations based on suicide frequency and site specifics, then introducing tailored facilities and management approaches. A government-wide, data-based system will link statistical production, information sharing, facility installation, and effectiveness analysis.

Suicide locations include buildings (74.7%), rural areas like mountains and rivers (22.6%), and bridges and railways (1.1%). Some sites show a pattern of repeated suicides due to accessibility. For instance, five out of 24 high-frequency suicide bridges accounted for 41.3% of suicide deaths in the past three years.

Specific measures include expanding automatic door-opening devices on high-rise building rooftops, which remain closed except during fires. These will be supported in existing buildings with high suicide risk, not just new constructions. In medical facilities, safety improvements will focus on areas like patient rooms and restrooms, with guidelines for window opening limits, higher railings, and improved fixtures.

Bridges and railways will see expanded safety fences and detection systems like CCTV for swift response. For vast areas like mountains and rivers, efforts will concentrate on sections with repeated suicides or low usage, enhancing detection and rescue capabilities. Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-deok stated, "Suicide prevention includes not only counseling and treatment but also making the spaces people inhabit safer during moments of crisis."

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Suicide prevention includes not only counseling and treatment but also making the spaces people inhabit safer during moments of crisis.