Korea’s suicide fix starts with answering calls

"If you’re thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s helpline at 109, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services." In Korea, news articles about suicide often end with this public service notice directing readers in crisis to call 109, the government’s 24-hour suicide prevention hotline. But the hotline answered fewer than half of its daily calls in the first quarter of 2026, even as the country conti

By The Korea Herald