A Brief Review of the 5th National Suicide Prevention Plan

Abstract

In April 2023, the government announced its multi-ministerial Fifth National Suicide Prevention Plan. The plan presented a vision for keeping Korea safe from suicide, which consists in reducing the suicide mortality rate by enhancing needs-tailored local suicide prevention policies and strengthening the management of those at high risk of suicide. This article reviews the key points of the suicide prevention plan and discusses the deliverables expected from the implementation of suicide prevention policies. To effectively reduce the suicide mortality rate as aimed for in the Plan, it is essential to: keep multi-ministerial suicide prevention efforts coordinated and reviewed, enhance local implementation capacity, strengthen the governance and infrastructure for the implementation of suicide prevention policies, change public perceptions regarding suicide, and improve advocacy for suicide prevention.