[Hangang Bridge SOS] Over 1,000 Extreme Attempts Recorded Last Year

①Fire Department Dispatches 1,035 Cases
Half of SOS Calls from Ages 10-30
Government's Key Measures Focus on 20s and 30s

As the government sets a goal to reduce the suicide rate by 50% within 10 years, it has been revealed that there were over 1,000 extreme attempts from bridges over the Han River last year. To respond to such crisis situations, more than half of the counselors at the 'SOS Life Line' were in their teens to thirties, but there are concerns that the social safety net for teenagers is lacking compared to those in their 20s and 30s.

SOS Life Line.
Photo by Life Insurance Social Contribution Foundation

2,426 'SOS Life Line' Consultations Over 5 Years

According to the Seoul Fire & Disaster Headquarters on the 26th, the number of dispatches due to suicide attempts on Han River bridges was recorded at 1,035 last year, the highest in the past five years. The number of fire department dispatches has been increasing annually: 504 in 2019, 474 in 2020, 626 in 2021, and 1,000 in 2022.

Conversely, the number of consultations at SOS Life Line, operated by the Life Insurance Social Contribution Foundation (Life Insurance Foundation), has decreased. The annual consultation and rescue cases were 633 consultations and 202 rescues in 2019; 510 and 198 in 2020; 466 and 202 in 2021; 449 and 144 in 2022; and 368 and 105 in 2023, respectively.

SOS Life Line was established in July 2011 and currently operates 75 units across 20 Han River bridges. It responds to crisis situations through telephone counseling and cooperates with 119 rescue teams, water rescue teams, and the police to save people in danger when necessary.

Most callers to the counseling line were young people. Over the past five years, the age distribution of consultations was 11% teenagers, 32% in their 20s, 9% in their 30s, 3% in their 40s, 2% in their 50s, 1% aged 60 and above, and 42% unknown. By gender, 59% were male, 31% female, and 10% unknown.

By time of day, calls were most frequent during 9 PM to midnight (24%), midnight to 3 AM (24%), 6 PM to 9 PM (17%), and 3 AM to 6 AM (15%), indicating a high volume during night and early morning hours. By bridge, the distribution was Mapo Bridge with 757 cases (31%), Yanghwa Bridge 318 cases (13%), Hangang Bridge 175 cases (7%), Gwangjin Bridge 123 cases (5%), and Jamsil Bridge 111 cases (5%).

The counseling topics included feelings of helplessness and loneliness (16%), depression and anxiety (15%), family issues (13%), interpersonal relationships (12%), economic problems (10%), career and academic concerns (10%), sexual issues (1%), and others (24%). One counselor shared, "I am working hard to prepare for employment, but getting a job is very difficult. My parents live in the provinces, and I am living alone in Seoul doing part-time work, but I cannot even cover living expenses." Another said, "My credit is poor, so it is hard to get a loan, and I have no one to turn to for help, which is very tough."

Government Measures Focus on 20s and 30s... Youth Suicide on the Rise

Suicide is the leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 30 in South Korea. In response, the government announced at the end of last year that it would shorten the mental health screening cycle for young adults from 10 years to 2 years and aims to reduce the suicide rate by 50% within 10 years. Most major policies focus on young adults in their 20s and 30s, including shortening mental health screening intervals and expanding psychological counseling services.

Conversely, youth suicide prevention measures are widely regarded as insufficient. Currently, 'Emotional and Behavioral Characteristics Tests' are conducted for 1st and 4th graders in elementary school, 1st graders in middle school, and 1st graders in high school, but their effectiveness is debated. Experts mainly criticize that the number of questions is too few and it is difficult to accurately identify students in crisis.

In response, the Ministry of Education plans to introduce an improved version called the 'Mind Ease Test' in elementary, middle, and high schools starting March this year. If teachers deem it necessary to observe students, they can conduct the test with parental consent. However, it remains uncertain whether this will be properly implemented, overcoming concerns about external exposure and counseling records.

There is also criticism about the lack of a public platform dedicated to youth suicide prevention. The Ministry of Health and Welfare operates the suicide prevention counseling line '109,' and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family runs the youth counseling line '1388,' but neither platform specializes exclusively in youth suicide issues.

Meanwhile, youth suicide rates are sharply increasing. According to the 'Emergency Room Self-Harm and Suicide Attempt Patient Visit Status' by the National Medical Center and Central Emergency Medical Center, the number of teenagers attempting self-harm or suicide per 100,000 population rose from 95.0 cases in 2018 to 160.5 cases in 2022 over the past five years.

Youth Counseling Relies on Private Sector... "Long-Term Measures Needed"

Given this situation, youth suicide counseling is effectively handled by the private sector. The comprehensive youth counseling system 'Dadeureojulgae' conducted 288,941 consultations from 2019 to 2023. By counseling type, as of last year, interpersonal relationships accounted for 20,021 cases, academic and career issues 7,154, family conflicts 7,070, violence and abuse 1,180, sexual and addiction issues 995, and others 18,118.

The youth concern sharing platform 'Healing Toktok' has been used by 143,550 people since February last year. It utilizes the metaverse platform Zepeto, familiar to teenagers, to provide emotional stability, empathetic conversation support systems, and mentoring. The high-risk youth mental health support program 'Emotion Store' encourages positive emotional cycles through game-like content such as buying good emotions, selling bad emotions, and sending emotion cards.

Experts emphasize the need for tailored national measures for youth. Professor Kwak Geum-ju of Seoul National University’s Department of Psychology said, "Youth suicide is not just an individual problem but affects the future of our country. We cannot leave it as is and must invest with a long-term plan. Even if schools have counseling centers, children avoid them due to stigma concerns. There is a need for high-quality counseling centers that can be accessed without external exposure."

Professor Lim Myung-ho of Dankook University’s Department of Psychology stated, "There is more than a tenfold difference between school internal investigations and external agency surveys on suicide impulses and school violence. Children tend to hide their issues fearing exposure. While school-wide surveys are necessary, we must consider various methods to reduce the 'dark figure' (hidden cases)."

※ If you have difficult concerns such as depression or know family or acquaintances facing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour expert counseling by calling the suicide prevention hotline ☎109.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.