Korea has implemented the Strategies to Prevent Suicide (STOPS), a project whose “initiatives aimed at increasing public awareness, improving media reporting of suicide, screening for persons at high risk of suicide, restricting access to means, and improving treatment of suicidally depressed patients”. All of these methods strive to increase public awareness and governmental support for suicide prevention. Currently, Korea and other countries that have implemented this initiative are in the process of evaluating how much influence this initiative has on the suicide rate.[31] The education ministry created a smartphone app to check students’ social media posts, messages and web searches for words related to suicide.[32]
Because the media coverage and portrayal of suicide influence the suicide rate, the government has “promulgated national guidelines for reporting on suicide in print media”. The national guideline helps the media coverage to focus more on warning signs and possibilities of treatment, rather than factors that lead to the suicide.[31]
Another method that South Korea has implemented is educating gatekeepers.[31] The gatekeeper education primarily consists of knowledge of suicide and dealing with suicidal individuals, and this education is provided to teachers, social workers, volunteers and youth leaders.[31] The Korean government educates gatekeepers within the at-risk communities, such as female elders or low-income families. To maximize the effect of gatekeepers, the government has also implemented evaluation programs to report the results.[31] Physical measures are also taken to prevent suicide. The government has reduced “access to lethal means of self-harm” . As mentioned above in the methods, the government has reduced access to poisoning agents, monoxide from charcoal, and finally train platforms. This helps to decrease the impulsive suicidal behavior.[31]