The government is aiming to slash the nation’s suicide rate by 30 percent by 2027.

The government announced the objective on Friday during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as a five-year plan on suicide prevention was finalized.

Under the plan, the government intends to reduce the number of suicides per 100-thousand people by 30 percent from 26 in 2021 to 18-point-two by 2027.

According to Statistics Korea, a total of 13-thousand-352 people took their lives in 2021, which is equivalent to 23-point-six people per 100-thousand. The figure is the highest among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) and double the average.

Also under the plan, the government will reduce the frequency of mental health checkups for those in their 20s to 70s to every two years, just like physical checkups, instead of every ten years. It will first introduce the system for those between 20 and 34 starting from 2025.

The government plans to expand the scope of such checkups to include depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.