Korean Women Lawyers Association, Six Lawmakers from Ruling and Opposition Parties Co-host Symposium on 'Suicide Prevention Act Amendments'

President Heo Yunjung: "Concrete follow-up measures that work on the ground are urgently needed, beyond a mere amendment to the law"

The Korean Women Lawyers Association (President Heo Yunjung) held a parliamentary symposium on amending the Suicide Prevention Act and developing effective measures on the morning of November 4 in Meeting Room 3 of the National Assembly Members' Office Building. The event was co-hosted by lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties (Kim Doeup, Kim Seonmin, Kim Yun, Nam Insoon, So Byeonghun and Cho Baesuk).

The symposium was organized to review key provisions of the amendment to the Act on the Prevention of Suicide and the Creation of a Culture of Respect for Life (the Suicide Prevention Act), which passed the National Assembly plenary session on October 1.

According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' "2025 Cause of Death Statistics," cited by the association, 14,144 people died by suicide in South Korea last year, an average of 38.8 people per day. South Korea has the highest figure among OECD member countries. Suicide accounted for more than half of deaths among people in their teens and twenties. The suicide rate among teenagers reached a record high of 8.6 per 100,000 people since statistics were first compiled in 1983, underscoring the urgent need for effective measures.

Attorney Lee Euncho, who delivered a presentation at the event, compared and analyzed the current Suicide Prevention Act and amendments proposed in the 22nd National Assembly, and outlined further legislative tasks. The enacted amendment includes provisions to exempt people from liability for harm caused during rescue efforts; permit the pseudonymization, integration and analysis of data; link information on people who have attempted suicide with emergency medical institutions; and establish a legal basis for requesting data to conduct psychological autopsies of suicide victims under the age of 19.

At the subsequent panel discussion, Jang Gyeonga, chair of the Korean Women Lawyers Association's Special Committee on Life, Family and Ethics, served as moderator. Experts from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Korea Communications Standards Commission, the medical community and the media attended. In congratulatory remarks, the lawmakers from both parties who co-hosted the event noted the marked differences in suicide patterns by gender and age and pledged bipartisan cooperation to prevent suicide.

Heo Yunjung, president of the Korean Women Lawyers Association, emphasized, "Suicide remains the leading cause of death for people from their teens through their 40s, and self-harm and suicide attempts among children and adolescents have increased more than sixfold over the past 10 years. We must go beyond simply amending the law and carefully design a safety net for life that works in practice."

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