The South Korean government is mulling the introduction of a system that aims to reduce suicides among elderly who live alone, local media reported Tuesday.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is actively reviewing measures to detect senior citizens with high suicide probability in advance and look after them, Yonhap news agency reported, citing a ministry official.

The ministry plans to provide mental health counseling to over 180,000 elderly who live alone in the country in November, it said. The official told Yonhap that the government is also looking into offering support to the elderly with high suicide probability if they need hospital treatment or medical expenses.

"South Korea's rising suicide rate is largely attributed to the rapid increase in elderly suicide rates," the official was quoted by Yonhap as saying.

South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In 2010, the rate of suicide for the elderly over the age of 65 was 72 per 100,000, more than twice higher than the country's total suicide rate. The country's suicide rate for 2010 was 31.2 per 100,000.