Ministry of National Defense (MND) Holds 'Meeting to Review the In-Military Suicide Prevention System'

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21 October 2026 (Wed) 15:00

Ministry of National Defense (MND) Holds 'Meeting to Review the In-Military Suicide Prevention System'

- Vice Minister of National Defense Lee Du-hee emphasizes, "It is necessary to build a warrior community in which every service member becomes a life-guardian for their comrades"

□ The Ministry of National Defense (MND) held the 'Meeting to Review the In-Military Suicide Prevention System' on 21 October (Wed), chaired by Vice Minister of National Defense Lee Du-hee, to analyze recent in-military suicide incidents and review the prevention system.

◦ This meeting was held in conjunction with the Integrated Committee for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Promotion, established in May '26, and jointly reviewed suicide prevention and mental health promotion measures.

◦ The Vice Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and the Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps participated in the meeting via video conference, sharing the current status of suicide incidents and prevention efforts in each branch of service, and Ministry of National Defense (MND) officials joined in discussing suicide prevention measures.

□ At the meeting, various improvement measures were discussed so that substantive suicide prevention measures could be established on the basis of a thorough analysis of incidents that have recently occurred in the military.

◦ In particular, given that the 6th Basic Plan for Suicide Prevention at the whole-of-government level has been established, measures to further strengthen the life-safety net for military personnel in connection with government-level measures were also discussed in depth.

□ Regarding the occurrence of suicide incidents in the military, Vice Minister Lee Du-hee stressed that "in order to prevent unfortunate incidents from occurring in the military, a barracks culture grounded in mutual trust among unit members must take root," and that "it is necessary to build a warrior community in which every service member becomes a life-guardian for their comrades," and called for attentive care for each individual service member.

□ The Ministry of National Defense (MND) plans to develop a tailored suicide prevention strategy targeting military personnel in accordance with the 6th Basic Plan for Suicide Prevention established jointly by the relevant ministries, while continuing efforts to spread a culture of respect for life within barracks and to cultivate all service members as life-guardians. <End>

Division in Charge

Military Human Rights Improvement Promotion Group

Person Responsible

Director General

Kim Mi-seong

(02-748-6830)

Barracks Culture Innovation Officer

Officer in Charge

Division Chief

Song Seon-hyang

(02-748-5560)