Suicide Prevention Act aims to strengthen government response to suicide-inducing information

A major step in combating online suicide-inducing information was taken Monday, as a revised bill strengthening the government's response passed the National Assembly plenary session.

The amendment to the Suicide Prevention Act, proposed by Rep. Seo Mi-hwa of the Democratic Party of Korea last September, allows the Minister of Health and Welfare to monitor suicide-inducing information and request its removal from service providers.

Ministry data given to Rep. Seo show reports of suicide-inducing information on social media, including X, Instagram, and YouTube, have surged. Reports rose from 32,588 in 2019 to 400,136 in 2024, an over 11-fold increase in five years. In the first half of this year, 209,058 reports were filed.

Until the Lee Jae Myung administration's July supplementary budget increased funding for suicide prevention by 2.55 billion won ($1.77 million), only one staff member monitored suicide-inducing information. Rep. Seo raised the staffing issue during last year's audit and said the amendment creates an institutional base.

“The bill will let the government respond more proactively to suicide-inducing information on SNS,” Seo said. “It is essential to expand personnel and set up monitoring centers to counter suicide-inducing information threatening citizens’ mental health.”