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South Korea on December 5 launched a comprehensive plan to provide mental health checkups every two years for young people aged 20 to 34.
There are also other counseling services suitable for all age groups. This is considered an effort by the Korean government to address the country's high suicide rate. According to the Korea Herald, for nearly 20 years, Korea has recorded the highest suicide rate among member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). According to OECD data released in September, the suicide rate in Korea was 25.2 cases per 100,000 people in 2022, more than double the OECD average of 10.6 cases per 100,000 people.
Nearly 40,000 South Koreans have taken their own lives in the past three years, and suicide rates are rising among young people. To address the worsening mental health situation, the South Korean government plans to conduct mental health checks every two years, starting with people aged 20 to 34 and then expanding to all age groups to detect early warning signs.
Currently, South Korea provides mental health checkups to people between the ages of 20 and 70 every 10 years. The government also plans to strengthen monitoring management by cooperating with mental health welfare centers and psychiatric departments of hospitals after the checkups are carried out.
The new effort by the South Korean government was announced by President Yoon Suk-yeol at a meeting on mental health policy on December 5. Yoon Suk-yeol said he will establish a new committee to outline mental health policy and monitor investments and infrastructure for mental care.
He stressed the importance of mental health for the country's future development. President Yoon Suk-yeol said, "Now is the time for the country to take active measures to ensure the mental health of its people. Mental health issues are not something that individuals can solve on their own. We must make it an important national agenda and seek solutions."
The plan also includes providing psychological counselling services to 80,000 people by 2024 and expanding this number to around one million people by 2027.
The government will also designate 109 as a new mental health crisis hotline. In addition, South Korea plans to provide online text message therapy for teenagers. “By investing heavily in public mental health, we will create a society where everyone can access mental health services anytime, anywhere,” said Health and Welfare Minister Cho Kyu-hong.
In addition, the Ministry of Health and the Korean National Police Agency will establish a joint emergency response center that operates 24/7 with police and health care professionals in 17 regions. The aim is to increase the effectiveness of emergency response for people with serious mental health problems.
The Ministry of Health also plans to consider whether to introduce a “judicial hospitalization system,” in which people with mental illness can be hospitalized by court order. It is also looking to ensure more psychiatric emergency beds are available and to increase the sharing of mental health information between relevant agencies.
Other measures include training some 228,000 mental health professionals by 2027 – up from 194,000 in 2019 – and improving working conditions.
South Korea also aims to add more rehabilitation centers to help people with mental health problems reintegrate into society. Starting in July 2024, the health ministry will begin suicide prevention training for 16 million people.
In addition, the Health Ministry will launch a nationwide campaign to reduce stigma against people with mental illness. It also plans to provide guidance on media coverage of mental health to reduce discrimination and prejudice.
According to Tin Tuc newspaper