Stress related to financial difficulties was the primary cause of suicidal ideation among Koreans across all age groups, a survey on national public perception of suicide released by the Health Ministry showed Thursday.

Nearly 45 percent of respondents pointed to money issues as the main trigger of suicidal ideation, while 42.2 percent said family problems.

Other causes included physical illness, emotional difficulty, intimate partner problems and alcohol addiction.

Of the 2,807 people who participated in the survey conducted last year, 14.7 percent said they had thought of committing suicide. The rate was down 3.8 percent from the previous survey conducted in 2018, according to the ministry. The participants in the survey conducted from Aug. 25 to Oct. 8 were aged between 19 and 75, it added.

The survey is conducted every five years based on the Act on the Prevention of Suicide and the Creation of Culture of Respect for Life, which aim to protect people’s lives by addressing necessary matters for responsibilities and providing prevention policies.

The Health Ministry said it would protect people from suicides by implementing preventative measures.

“(The Health Ministry) will actively reflect on the public’s awareness of suicide on (the ministry’s) suicide prevention policies. (We) will also do our best to reduce the suicide rates through the plans (the ministry) has rolled out,” Lee Hyeong-hoon, who heads the Health Ministry’s mental health policy department, was quoted as saying in a statement.

Meanwhile, a total of 39,453 people took their own lives from 2020 to 2022, according to the Health Ministry and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency data submitted to Rep. Baek Jong-hean of the ruling People Power Party in October last year.

A total of 30,665 people visited the emergency room after suicide attempts last year, with those in their 30s being the largest group.

If you’re thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s helpline at 109, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.