Police move to tackle high suicide rate of officers

The Korea Times reports that the National Police Agency (NPA) has unveiled a comprehensive plan to address the high suicide rate among police officers in South Korea. Between 2020 and 2024, an average of 23 officers took their own lives annually, with 25 suicides reported in 2025 alone. The suicide rate among police officers stands at 17.7 per 100,000 people, more than double the 8.6 per 100,000 rate for other public servants.

To tackle this issue, the agency plans to implement several measures, including mandatory mental health checkups every two years for all officers, expanded counseling programs to all officers, and increased access to mental health support. These steps aim to address the high levels of stress faced by police officers, who often encounter traumatic scenes during their duties.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.