Jeongeup-si Selected for 'Public-Private Partnership Suicide Prevention Project' Contest

[Jeongeup=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jaegil] Jeongeup City in Jeonbuk announced on the 29th that it has been finally selected for the ‘2022 Public-Private Partnership Suicide Prevention Project’ organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Life Respect Hope Foundation.

With this selection, the city will receive 50 million KRW in project funds from the Ministry of Health and Welfare to promote projects aimed at improving citizens' awareness of suicide prevention and creating a life-respecting city.

This project supports specialized suicide prevention initiatives by private organizations to foster and spread a culture of life respect in the private sector.

With the goal of protecting citizens' precious lives and fostering a culture of life respect, local governments and private institutions form a consortium to carry out various prevention activities such as suicide prevention services, blocking suicide attempts, and protecting lives of those at suicide risk.

Using the 50 million KRW in national funds secured through this selection, the city plans to build a public-private cooperation network over nine months from next month until December and create a social suicide prevention environment.

To this end, the city will sign memorandums of understanding with 71 cooperating institutions, including nine vulnerable apartment complexes, eight schools, and 54 life-loving practice businesses in the region, and will install “Sound of Mind” boxes, distribute promotional materials, and conduct depression screenings.

Additionally, the city plans to install signboards in secluded vacant lots, parking lots, and high-rise buildings, and install automatic opening devices on rooftop emergency fire doors to prevent suicide by falling.

Along with this, to improve awareness of suicide and create a life-respecting environment, logo projectors featuring life-respecting emotional phrases and images will be installed in areas with frequent nighttime activity.

The city expects that this public-private partnership suicide prevention project will lay the foundation for suicide prevention in the local community and serve as a stepping stone to spreading a culture of life respect.

A city official said, “Through this project, we will do our best to create a safe community free from suicide, foster a life-respecting atmosphere, and contribute to improving residents’ quality of life and reducing the suicide rate.”

Jeongeup=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jaegil gjg7070@asiae.co.kr