[Interview] "Youth Suicide Emergency... The Pillar of Our Society Has Fallen" [MZ Mindfulness]

⑤Hwang Taeyeon, Chairman of the Korea Life Respect Hope Foundation
Revolutionary Improvement Needed in Social Safety Nets
Don't Endure Alone, Seek Help from Those Around You

Hwang Tae-yeon, Chairman of the Korea Life Respect Hope Foundation, emphasized, “Youth suicide is a phenomenon where the mainstay of our society is collapsing, and even declaring an emergency immediately would not easily resolve the situation,” adding, “Saving the young people who are alive now is more urgent than measures to address low birth rates.”

In an interview with Asia Economy held on the afternoon of the 25th at the Korea Life Respect Hope Foundation in Jung-gu, Seoul, Chairman Hwang said, “The physical and mental health of youth affects their entire life cycle. The first step must be to show interest, approach them, listen to their difficulties, and try to understand,” and added, “Medical solutions such as counseling and treatment are just the tip of the iceberg. There is a need for a revolutionary improvement in social safety nets, including economic support for youth and reform of the unfair labor market.”

Hwang Tae-yeon, Chairman of the Korea Life Respect Hope Foundation. [Photo by Korea Life Respect Hope Foundation]

The Korea Life Respect Hope Foundation was established in April 2021 by integrating the existing Central Suicide Prevention Center and Central Psychological Autopsy Center to comprehensively and effectively carry out suicide prevention and life respect culture promotion projects. Currently, it is conducting various projects for suicide prevention and fostering a culture of life respect, including education and publicity for suicide prevention, identification and support for high-risk groups such as suicide attempters and bereaved families, post-management, and research and analysis to promote evidence-based suicide prevention policies.

Chairman Hwang, a psychiatrist who has served as the President of the Korean Society of Social Psychiatry and the Head of the Mental Health Business Department at the National Mental Health Center, said, “As a doctor treating patients, I have experienced many heartbreaking moments. I wanted to spread a life respect culture movement for suicide prevention in the public sector,” and introduced, “Life Keeper education aims to improve skills to detect and respond to high-risk groups in advance, and awareness improvement education aims to cultivate healthy values about life. I hope that suicide prevention services become widely known and lead to a reduction in suicide rates.”

He diagnoses that the high suicide rate among youth stems from social factors and learned helplessness. Chairman Hwang pointed out, “According to the 2022 National Police Agency statistics, the motives for suicide among those aged 21 to 30 were mental health issues (51.1%), economic and livelihood problems (18.2%), and workplace and job-related issues (7.3%),” adding, “There are underlying social problems such as youth unemployment, economic hardship, and isolation.”

He further explained, “There is a theory called learned helplessness in interpersonal relationship theory. From childhood, individuals experience that no matter what actions they take at home or school, nothing changes. As they reach their 20s and 30s and are exposed to endless competition, this helplessness intensifies, leading them to contemplate suicide.”

To alleviate the sense of helplessness among youth, he proposed the introduction of a ‘Korean-style Social and Emotional Life Skills Enhancement’ program. Chairman Hwang said, “The World Health Organization (WHO) presents enhancing social and emotional life skills from adolescence as an effective suicide prevention policy direction. It is a kind of interpersonal relationship training that can increase the resilience of young people,” and added, “A Korean-style policy is needed that includes content and services enabling youth to overcome immediate difficulties and maintain hope for the future.”

Hwang Tae-yeon, Chairman of the Korea Life Respect Hope Foundation. [Photo provided by Korea Life Respect Hope Foundation]

Chairman Hwang emphasized that when suicide signs are observed around someone, ‘listening’ and ‘connecting’ are the most important. He said, “Just remember these two: listen well and connect,” and explained, “Empathize and listen to the difficulties your friend is experiencing that lead them to consider suicide, and inform family or close people about the suicide risk so that they are not left alone.”

For young people contemplating suicide, Chairman Hwang advised, “Abandon the thought that you must endure alone and seek help from those around you. It could be family or friends, or you can receive expert counseling through the suicide prevention hotline 109,” and added, “Suicide prevention centers or mental health welfare centers are established in metropolitan and local governments. You can contact the center in your area of residence for counseling, and it is also possible to receive support linked with various social welfare services.”

※ If you have difficult-to-talk-about concerns such as depression or if you have family or acquaintances experiencing such difficulties, you can receive expert counseling 24 hours a day through the suicide prevention hotline ☎109.