More than 7,000 people died by suicide in South Korea in the first half of this year, according to government data on Sunday.

A total of 7,067 people took their lives between January and June, slightly down from the 7,844 in the same period last year but similar to the 7,142 in the first half of 2023, according to data from Statistics Korea.

By age group, people in their 50s accounted for the largest share at 22.4 per cent, followed by those in their 40s (19 per cent), 60s (15.1 per cent), 30s (13.5 per cent) and 70s (9.8 per cent), with other age groups making up the remainder.

Experts say suicide should not be viewed only as an individual issue but also as a broader social and structural problem requiring public health interventions.

In a recent article in the Korea Institute for Hea

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