Hi Eggfry: I'm so sorry about what you are going through.  :)ealing with someone who has suicide ideations is very difficult and stressful.
I'm making an assumption that you are in South Korea (hopefully not North). The article at the link below addresses the suicide problem in South Korea. You might find it interesting.
Suicide Ideation in South KoreaIs is possible to go back to your country of origin, where it might be easier to get medical attention? Is your partner willing to get help?
Sounds like you need to inquire with health care entities in Korea to determine what are possible medical services for a noncitizen. If you are able to pay cash, I'm sure a lot more would be possible, as opposed to other possible options. If your partner is willing to see a medical professional, a psychiatrist might be your best place to start (in view of what is stated in the above article about South Korea and medical services).
Thank you so much for your responses. I racked my brain all day yesterday about what I should do. Luckily I ran into him after I got out of work and talked with him seriously. He had come down from his episode and was willing to listen. We sat down and talked for a very long time about BPD, what he was feeling and how to deal with it in a healthier way. I asked him if I was in the same place as his him if he would stand idly by. And he agreed that it was really wrong to put anyone in that position. He does want to get help and is willing to go get help. We're going to try some free counseling centers that deal with foreigners. But we have to choose carefully where we go.
Yes definitely in South Korea, not North. We are planning to go back to our home country in about 6 months. Just trying to hold out till then. Despite S. Korea's modern technology the thinking is not always so progressive. The article that you posted about S. Korea and suicide is spot on, the prevention is very poor. It's a way of thinking and a lack of openness on the topic too.
Not to be trite, but why can't you tell anyone?
I know that it is hard, but the reality is that your life and physical well-being are worth more than his job and/or visa.
Also, it does sound like he needs to be in some sort of treatment. Calling someone when he is making threats is really the only thing that you can do.
If it were me, I would contact your local services who help with such things and formulate a safety plan (both for you and for when he starts acting out again).
If you need help finding the right people in your area, please let one of the members of the Member Support Team (their names are at the top of the page) know. We'll see what information we can find for you.
It's not as cut and dry as it should be. If he loses the visa he may never be able to return here, and has some extended family. I don't want to prevent him from being able to see them or cause him to be cast out. They tend to shun people with mental health issues. The cultural differences are really extreme. There's no dr patient confidentiality. Your workplace can access some of your medical information. So you must pay in cash to avoid paper trails, but it's very hush hush if you go see a psychiatrist. Which is why we're opting for the free counseling. He has been taken in after some of the incidents I mentioned before but they would not detain him not even for a 24 hour period. After my incident, they didn't keep me either. They just send you back out after giving you medical treatment. I'm afraid if I call someone, they'll take him in and just release him. And then he'll come home and follow through with his threat. He also needs his job to keep the medical insurance.
A safety/emergency plan is a great idea. I don't know why I didn't have one before. Thank you for all the references, they were really helpful. I didn't know about the support team either, I'm so glad it's available.