The government and Korea’s retail industry agreed Wednesday to remove charcoal briquettes from open store displays in a move aimed at preventing suicide attempts. The measure comes as nearly one in four suicide deaths in the country involve charcoal briquettes. The Office for Government Policy Coordination said its Suicide Prevention Policy Office signed a memorandum of understanding with five retail industry groups at the Government Complex Seoul. The signatories included associations representing chain stores, convenience stores, supermarkets, online shopping platforms and campgrounds. Under the agreement, retailers will no longer keep charcoal briquettes on store shelves and will instead provide them only upon customer request. Product packaging will also carry stickers displaying the suicide prevention hotline number, 109. According to the office, 3,525 people died in 2024 from carbon monoxide poisoning involving charcoal briquettes, accounting for 23.7 percent of all suicide deaths that year. The government said the figure underscored the need to better manage access to the common