Sleepless nights have become part of daily life for university students juggling endless assignments and part-time jobs. In contrast, student loan bills and anxiety about employment prospects weigh heavily on their minds. The feeling that “Everyone around me seems happy, why am I the only one struggling this much?” is no longer confined to isolated individuals. This desperate situation of young people reflects the persistent scourge of youth marginalization and mental isolation. South Korea continues to hold the unwanted distinction of having the highest suicide rate among OECD nations. Most alarming is the fact that the primary cause of death for youth ages 10 to 30 is suicide, which starkly exposes the structural problems of our society. In 2023, 12,100 people died by suicide, many of them young people in their teens and twenties.
However, despite this sobering reality, public attention and discussion remain insufficient. According to 2023 Ministry of Health and Welfare data, suicide prevention accounts for a mere 0.09% of the total health and welfare budget. Media reporting restrictions on suicide coverage also significantly limit public awareness. Youth suicide represents more than statistics- these are the stories of real lives, and it is time to confront this crisis rather than look away.
In this crisis, even the basic counseling systems designed to protect lives are failing to fulfill their intended role-a deeply troubling development. This article examines the current state and limitations of suicide prevention counseling systems. It uncovers structural problems that prevent these systems from reaching those in need and explores the root causes and current conditions. Additionally, by examining successful support programs, this investigation seeks to identify pathways toward meaningful systemic and societal reform.
Among the most prominent counseling programs for adolescents is the ‘Wee Class’ initiative. Initially established to prevent school violence, Wee Class has expanded its scope to promote mental well-being and academic success. Students seek help with a wide range of issues there, including career planning, academic pressure, stress management, and relationship problems. Even so, significant barriers to accessing counseling services persist. Students hesitate to seek counseling help fearing their issues will be disclosed. According to the Korean Youth Counseling & Welfare Institute, 53.4% of middle and high school students avoid counseling due to privacy concerns. One high school student explained, “I wanted counseling, but I felt teachers watching me and friends judging me while I was preparing for university entrance exams.” This demonstrates that students do not view Wee Class as a completely safe space. Anonymity and privacy of shared information are essential factors when students consider accessing Wee Class services. Nevertheless, students remain concerned that simply visiting the counseling office could lead to misunderstandings. The assigned school counselor explained, “Privacy cannot be fully guaranteed when a client faces direct or indirect danger, such as school violence, sexual assault, suicide risk, or self-harm. Before counseling begins, I explain this and obtain consent from the student.” For the rest of the consultation, the contents are not disclosed to outsiders, and it is not conducted unless the individual is willing. The use of counseling data in official school records is not permitted. Though structurally, counseling is designed with security and personal freedom in mind, the fact that it takes place during school hours makes students conscious of others’ perceptions.
This psychological phenomenon emerges not only in adolescents but also in adults. In adults’ case, one of the reasons they shrink back from psychiatrists is a vague fear that it will remain on record. Many people worry these records could work against them in employment or school applications. However, this is not based on facts. By law, psychiatric records are classified as personal medical documentation, and it is impossible for third parties to access them. According to the Personal Information Protection Act, it is also illegal for companies and schools to request and gather such information. Similarly, such details are not automatically included in student profiles or job applications. Despite all this, distrust continues. According to a 2021 survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Mental Health and Welfare Center, 41.7% of adults seeking psychiatric counseling discontinued treatment due to fears about documentation and social stigma. Despite institutional safeguards, societal stigma and misconceptions continue to block effective access to mental health services. The cost and time commitment required for ongoing counseling are additional barriers.
While 24-hour free mental health helplines are accessible resources, engagement rates remain relatively low. Key services include the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s mental health consultation line (1577-0199), Life Line Korea (1588-9191), and the Youth Counseling Hotline (1388). These services provide emergency psychological support for individuals at risk of suicide. However, according to Statistics Korea’s national social survey, only a small percentage of people facing psychological difficulties have contacted counseling hotlines. Low usage rates are attributed to several factors: lack of awareness about available hotlines, doubts about their effectiveness, and fear of discovery by others. In particular, the format of voice-only counseling may challenge a generation more accustomed to face-to-face or chat-based communication. In addition, there are severe counselor shortages. Currently, the average counselor at the National Center for Mental Health handles roughly 600 clients. When emergency counseling requests surge, connection delays increase, forcing some individuals in crisis to abandon their attempts to seek help.
What are some examples of overseas organizations that have overcome the limitations of existing domestic systems?
One example is Samaritans in the UK. This is a private organization that provides 24-hour counseling support to people at risk of suicide. They use a variety of digital channels, such as phone calls, emails, text messages, and chats, making them especially accessible to younger generations and digital users.
Also, Samaritans guarantees complete anonymity, and about 20,000 volunteers who are intensively trained in listening provide counseling support. As a program linked with all sectors of society, Samaritans has introduced a system to detect warning signs early and has established a detailed system of prevention and post-care. In an interview, Samaritans counselor A. McDowell said, "To reduce misunderstandings about suicide, it is necessary to create a safe environment where even non-experts can talk. Just listening can save a life.” This organization formed the National Suicide Prevention Alliance with the UK Department of Health and Social Care, supplementing the national-level suicide prevention strategy. Every year, on World Suicide Prevention Day, it carries out nationwide campaigns, contributing to the improvement of social awareness. Due to this meticulous service system, more than 70% of users evaluate the service as “very satisfactory,” and the intention to reuse exceeds 80%.
The LifeKeepers program, operated by the New Zealand non-profit organization Le Va, is a suicide prevention program designed with cultural safety as the top priority, reflecting the characteristics of a multicultural society. This program lowers entry barriers by allowing anyone to participate for free, anytime, anywhere, through various formats such as online e-learning and in-person workshops. It focuses on enabling non-experts in everyday life—such as teachers, sports coaches, religious leaders, parents, and peers—to directly detect warning signs, initiate conversations with courage, and effectively take emergency action. LifeKeepers emphasizes practical actions through the C.A.R.E. principles (Connect / Ask / Respond / Engage), which involve listening to warning signs, asking questions, empathizing, and connecting individuals with appropriate support.
Unlike the current domestic programs that are limited to institution-centered, one-time education, LifeKeepers systematically supports non-professionals to continuously take an active role in the prevention network. In addition, verified overseas suicide prevention models such as SafeTALK and ASIST have been localized to suit the realities of New Zealand, increasing the program’s effectiveness. This program emphasizes the prevention of isolation and the restoration of emotional and social connections, and it is being expanded and operated on a national scale. The completely free, participatory structure, more practical behavioral training, and localization are the greatest strengths of LifeKeepers. This program has been in operation since 2017, and as of 2024, more than 12,000 people have been trained as LifeKeepers. Le Va stated that “a culture has been formed in which local communities recognize and respond to suicide issues themselves.” These achievements are the result of close cooperation between the government, NGOs, and religious organizations, and more than 90% of participants responded that “after the program, they felt safer talking about suicide.”
Suicide prevention is an urgent task that the entire Korean society must address together. As seen in recent exemplary cases abroad—such as the UK’s Samaritans and New Zealand’s LifeKeepers program—there are clear common denominators that must be urgently adopted into Korea’s suicide prevention system: expanded accessibility through various channels, strict guarantees of anonymity, increased familiarity through non-expert participation, and a closely connected social support network.
Therefore, now is the time to revise the existing system based on the previously mentioned shortcomings and exemplary cases. To address the burden of face-to-face and phone counseling, as well as concerns about guaranteed anonymity, it is necessary to actively expand non-face-to-face counseling infrastructure such as chat, video calls, and mobile applications. These efforts must be made quickly so that the young, digital generation can access services anytime without psychological or physical barriers through real-time chat, anonymous counseling, and AI-based support channels. To support this, organic cooperation between the public and private sectors is essential, and the training of professional counselors, improvement of their working conditions, and the expansion of nationwide infrastructure must be carried out systematically. In addition, efforts must be made to resolve inefficiencies in counseling administration. A current Wee Class teacher stated, “The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family are overlapping in their counseling support roles, which is reducing administrative efficiency,” and emphasized, “Since this issue is directly related to the professionalism of counseling, a clear division of roles between related ministries is necessary.”
In addition to these institutional aspects, a re-establishment of awareness among everyone is also necessary. A Wee Class teacher explained, “There are already sufficient systems in place to support adolescent mental health, but due to various misunderstandings and a lack of awareness, it is not easy for students to actually use them,” and added, “I hope that these psychological barriers can be resolved through accurate information delivery and active promotion.” Unnecessary misunderstandings about the existing counseling system must be corrected, and through national and regional-level publicity. The correct awareness must be established that a culture of respect for life does not come only from national policies or experts, but from all of us. This way, we can further strengthen the possibility of hope and recovery even in complex crisis situations.
Korean society must once again recognize the seriousness of the suicide issue, and improvements to the counseling system along with greater social attention are necessary. The existing system should be reorganized to focus on people, misunderstandings about psychological counseling must be resolved, and accessibility should be increased through promotion and institutional reform. Suicide is not merely a personal choice—it is a form of “social death” that stems from a lack of information and the difficulty of seeking help. Despite government support, the reality is that procedural complexity and stigma make it hard to reach those in need. We must ask not “why did they die?” but “why was it so hard to live?” and strive to create an environment where all young people can live. Respect for life begins with small acts of interest and care, and a single warm word can become hope for someone. The efforts of individuals and society together create a healthy community and a sustainable future. Now is the time for change and solidarity.
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