Only 290,000 Consultations for Defense Help Call... Increased Ninefold

Group Counseling Hotline 'Defense Help Call' Poster

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Since the launch of 'Defense Help Call,' a counseling service for military life operated by the Ministry of National Defense, suicide incidents and military absenteeism within the armed forces have decreased.

On the 20th, the Ministry of National Defense held the 'Defense Help Call 1303 Expansion Opening Ceremony' at the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters, presided over by Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du. They announced that since the opening of Defense Help Call in 2013, over 295,000 consultations (an average of about 42,000 per year) have been conducted.

Defense Help Call is a specialized counseling organization that resolves soldiers' difficulties in military life and supports reporting and counseling on various military crimes and sexual violence. Last year, the total number of reports and consultations through Defense Help Call reached about 48,000, more than nine times the number in 2013.

Military absenteeism decreased by 83.7%, from 643 cases in 2013 to 105 in 2019, and suicide incidents decreased by 22.7%, from 79 cases in 2013 to 61 last year.

Defense Help Call increased the number of professional counselors from 17 last year to 21 and expanded simultaneous call lines from 4 to 10. Up to 10 professional counselors can provide counseling simultaneously.

If a consultation cannot be conducted because the line is busy, a professional counselor will check the number and call back.

Even if a communication failure occurs during a call, a standby system operates to prevent the existing call from being disconnected or delayed.

Additionally, a system that saves counseling content through Speech to Text (STT) functionality is being established. To prevent personal information leakage, the client's personal data from the converted text is not immediately saved.

This year, the Ministry of National Defense also newly designed the Defense Help Call logo. The English initial 'H' of 'Help' is depicted as an image of two people facing each other.

At the opening ceremony, Minister Jeong emphasized, "Each counselor is like a guardian angel to the soldiers of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces," adding, "We must do our best to comfort the soldiers' wounded hearts, save lives, and prevent incidents and accidents within the military."