77% of teens who died by suicide classified as low-risk in school screenings, audit finds

The Ministry of Education's suicide risk screening for teenagers is inadequate and needs to be overhauled, a government audit has found.

The Board of Audit and Inspection released the findings Wednesday as part of its audit on the state of mental health support for vulnerable groups.

South Korea recorded 291 suicides per 100,000 people in 2024, 2.7 times the OECD member average. In response, the board conducted the audit across five agencies — including the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education — over roughly one month beginning in November 2025, ultimately confirming seven recommended improvements to existing systems.

According to the audit, the Ministry of Education's "Student Emotional and Behavioral Characteristics Survey," administered every three years, has significant limitations in identifying suicide risk.

A review of screening results for 782 teenagers who died by suicide between 2020 and 2024 found that 77.4 percent — 605 students — had been classified as low-risk, pointing to serious flaws in how the survey identifies at-risk students.

The audit also raised concerns that some questions used to gauge suicide risk, such as "I have seriously attempted suicide," use blunt language that may prompt students worried about stigma to answer dishonestly.

The board said the screening should be revised to detect indirect warning signs such as "loss of purpose in life" and "feelings of hopelessness."

The board also said the survey, developed in 2015, was calibrated to flag roughly 2.3 percent of students as high-risk, and that the threshold needs to be adjusted given the rising number of young people attempting suicide.

The board has directed the minister of education to revise the survey's questions and assessment criteria to improve the identification rate of students at potential suicide risk.

If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, dial the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 109, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.