President Lee Jae-myung: "Nothing is more precious than life... It is heartbreaking that the youth suicide rate is bucking the trend"

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting New York, United States, to attend the UN General Assembly, pledged on the 23rd (local time) to develop measures to address the heartbreaking reality that the youth suicide rate has risen while the overall suicide rate continues to decline.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) that day, President Lee Jae-myung said, "Deaths by suicide have steadily declined by more than 10% since nationwide suicide-prevention measures began to be established and implemented following my inauguration last year." He added, "However, it is truly heartbreaking that the youth suicide rate, including suicides linked to academic pressure, is instead moving in the opposite direction."
He continued, "I will maintain constant interest and make every effort to minimize this heartbreaking reality." He emphasized, "The People's Sovereignty Government is doing everything in its power to save people's lives, whether they are threatened by suicide, disaster-related deaths, accidental deaths, or deaths caused by crime."
President Lee Jae-myung also said, "Nothing is more precious than life." He added, "The core of policymaking is to change circumstances that are harder to endure than death, including livelihood concerns, pain, loneliness, and despair."
According to the '2025 Causes of Death Statistics' released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on the 22nd, the overall suicide rate declined last year for the first time in three years, while the teen suicide rate was the only one to rise among all age groups. The teen suicide rate reached 8.6 per 100,000 people, up 0.6 from 8.0 the previous year, marking the highest level since the relevant statistics began being compiled.

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter