Self-harm, suicide levels in young women worrying: report

Preventing self-harm and suicides among young women is an urgent national priority, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Thursday.

According to the agency’s Injury Factbook, which analyzes in-depth data from ER patients with “injuries” at 23 hospitals, cases of intentional self-harm in young women were significantly high.

“Injury” is defined as a health problem caused by external factors such as accidents, natural disasters, self-harm, suicide and violence. The analysis found that most injuries from self-harm or suicide attempts involved ingesting toxic substances. Among those aged 15 to 24 who suffered poisoning-related injuries, women accounted for 76.2 percent.

A closer look at the reasons for self-harm and suicide showed that psychological factors were cited by 60.3 percent of women, compared with 45.1 percent of men.

In a separate survey conducted last year by the Prime Minister’s Secretariat on 15,098 people aged 19 to 34, the prevalence of self-harm among young women was 10.7 percent, higher than 7.2 percent among men. Among respondents who said they had seriously considered suicide in the past year, 3.9 percent were women and 2 percent were men.

Deaths from injuries have also increased. About 30,000 people died from injury in 2024, a 7 percent increase from the year before.