Opening of 'Mokpo Smile Center,' a Dedicated Institution for Protecting Crime Victims in Jeonnam Region

Expectations for Trauma Healing and Support for Returning to Daily Life

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The 'Mokpo Smile Center,' a dedicated protection agency supporting psychological treatment for crime victims in the Jeonnam region, has opened on the site of the former Mokpo Police Station.

According to Jeonnam Province on the 5th, the Mokpo Smile Center is a three-story building equipped with counseling rooms, psychological treatment rooms, play therapy rooms, group therapy rooms, and living quarters, serving as an integrated trauma support institution for crime victims.

The opening ceremony was attended by Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province; Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice; Kim Won-i, Member of the National Assembly; Kim Jong-sik, Mayor of Mokpo; and Park Chang-su, Chairman of the Mokpo City Council.

The Mokpo Smile Center will serve as a safe haven to help crime victims and their families in the Jeonnam region heal from trauma caused by mental shock and regain the strength to return to their daily lives.

Jeonnam has many islands and mountainous areas vulnerable to crime prevention, but until now, there was no dedicated agency to protect victims of serious crimes.

Accordingly, since 2019, Jeonnam Province has continuously visited the Ministry of Justice and others to secure budget allocation for the Smile Center, resulting in the opening of the 16th Smile Center nationwide.

Governor Kim Young-rok said, “We will always support and actively assist the path of the Mokpo Smile Center,” adding, “We will do our utmost to help each victim regain their smile and open a ‘Jeonnam Happiness Era’ where all residents are happy.”

Meanwhile, near the Mokpo Smile Center site, the Ministry of Unification’s Unification Center and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s Youth Support Center are scheduled to be established by next year.

It is expected to revitalize the local economy, which has been subdued by COVID-19, and become a key hub advancing toward the future of Jeonnam.