Three Busan high school students found dead; suicide notes cite academic stress

As of June 21, 2025, three female high school students were found dead in the garden of an apartment complex in Busan in the early hours of the day. 

According to a joint statement from the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency and the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, the students appeared to have died by suicide, leaving behind notes citing overwhelming academic stress.

At approximately 1:39 a.m. on June 21, emergency services were alerted after the students, who were second-year students at Busan’s A High School, were discovered unconscious in the garden of an apartment complex. They were transported to a nearby hospital but were later pronounced dead.

Authorities confirmed that the three students were close friends and attended the same school. CCTV footage from the apartment building captured the students entering the elevator together at 11:42 p.m. the previous night and exiting on the 20th floor. None of the students lived in the building.

Two of the students left behind notes. According to initial findings, the letters expressed significant distress related to academic pressure and a heavy mental burden. There was no mention of school bullying or other external factors, and no signs of physical assault were found on their bodies.

In response, the Busan Office of Education has formed a joint response task force to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. A crisis management committee was convened at the students’ school at 10 a.m. on June 21. An emergency meeting was held under the direction of the Superintendent of Education.

To support the families of the deceased, educational supervisors were dispatched to three different hospitals where the students’ memorials were being arranged. The school has also begun discussions on measures to support affected students and staff following the incident.

Authorities continue to investigate the case while calling for increased attention to the mental health of students and the pressures they face in the academic environment.