"Hard Today, It Will All Pass"...The Revolutionary Secret of the Neighborhood That Prevented Death

Yongsangu Creates Musical-Based Suicide Prevention Education
Nowon-gu Establishes Life Respect Team for 13 Years of Management

Yongsan-gu received great response by combining suicide prevention education for students with cultural performances. The photo shows a scene from the youth life-respecting musical "I am a Butterfly" held at Boseong Girls' Middle and High School. (Photo by Yongsan-gu Office)

"Believe that today's tearfully difficult times will not last forever. So that someday, you may share your strength by holding the hand of someone powerless." (Grand Prize-winning entry of Yongsan-gu’s ‘Respect for Life and Love of Life Writing Contest’)

Seoul’s Yongsan-gu (Mayor Park Hee-young) changed its suicide prevention education method for students this year, moving away from lecture-style sessions. Instead, they combined it with cultural performances to engage interest and enjoyment. A representative example is the life-respecting musical "I Am a Butterfly," performed four times last August. A total of 1,280 students from four schools?Boseong Girls’ Middle and High School, Yongsan Railroad High School, and Sunrin Internet High School?attended the performances.

For the youth and middle-aged groups, which the district identified as priority management targets, two psychological support programs called "Mind Workshop" were held this year. About 30 participants divided into four groups underwent 20 sessions including depression and stress tests, group reading counseling, and one-on-one in-depth counseling. Most participants responded positively, requesting longer operating hours and more sessions. Last fall, a Respect for Life and Love of Life writing contest was also held.

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) has long operated various life-respecting programs such as the Life Love School for youth and a relationship-building program for single middle-aged individuals. It established the nation’s first dedicated suicide prevention department (now the Life Respect Team) 13 years ago, showing its commitment to this area. Since 2021, the "Life Love School" for youth has been held consistently, educating 5,045 students from 36 schools this year alone. The program targets students from local elementary, middle, high, and alternative schools.

For socially isolated single middle-aged households, the district runs a "Relationship Building Program for Single Middle-aged Individuals." An annual survey on the status of single-person households aged 50 and above monitors mental health; this year, 473 people aged 50 to 64 are being surveyed. They are encouraged to participate in relationship-building programs such as cooking and outings organized around welfare communities at local community centers.

Since Nowon-gu established a dedicated suicide prevention team and managed it, the suicide rate has decreased by 30.4% in 13 years. (Photo by Nowon-gu Office)

A Nowon-gu official stated, "The Life Respect Team strives to reduce suicide rates through early detection and systematic management of those at risk of suicide," adding, "We manage 2,820 individuals at risk through psychological counselors and the Neighbor Love Volunteer Group." Depending on the level of suicide risk, emotional support is provided via phone calls or visits from twice a month up to eight times a month.

These efforts by autonomous districts are reflected in actual statistics. According to Statistics Korea, the average suicide rate in Seoul in 2022 was 21.4 per 100,000 people, while Yongsan-gu recorded 18.5 and Nowon-gu 20.4, both below the average.

The decrease rate is particularly notable. Over the past 10 years since 2012, while the average suicide rate in Seoul decreased by 10.1%, Yongsan-gu’s rate dropped by 30.7%, the largest decline among the 25 autonomous districts. During the same period, Nowon-gu’s rate decreased by 19.0%, and compared to 2009?the year before the suicide prevention team was established when the rate was 29.3?it achieved a remarkable 30.4% reduction over 13 years.

In the past decade, the districts with the greatest reductions in suicide rates in Seoul were Yongsan, Mapo, Gangseo, and Yangcheon-gu, while Jongno, Seocho, and Dobong-gu saw double-digit increases compared to 10 years ago. Meanwhile, the national suicide rate last year was 25.2, a 10.3% decrease from 10 years ago.