Namyangju City and Seoul Ace Hospital Join Hands to Promote a Culture of Life Respect

Namyangju City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Joo Gwang-deok) announced on the 14th that it held a pledge ceremony on the 13th together with Seoul Ace Hospital to create a ‘Life Respect Safe Village’ aimed at spreading a culture of life respect and strengthening the suicide prevention safety net.

Namyangju City held a pledge ceremony to create a "Life-Respecting Safe Village" together with Seoul Ace Hospital on the 13th. Photo by Namyangju City

The ‘Life Respect Safe Village’ is a newly launched suicide prevention project this year by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Life Respect Hope Foundation, aiming to establish a suicide prevention safety net utilizing local resources at the eup, myeon, and dong levels.

Namyangju City, through cooperation with Seoul Ace Hospital, will take the lead in spreading a culture of life respect by △ identifying, intervening, and connecting high-risk groups △ conducting suicide prevention awareness campaigns △ providing life keeper education △ and carrying out activities to block suicide risk means.

Additionally, a smart helpline system will be established to detect citizens in crisis early and ensure they receive appropriate support.

Kim Seong-min, director of Seoul Ace Hospital, stated, “We will ensure that local residents can quickly access mental health issues through active connection and support for high-risk suicide groups,” and added, “We will do our best to create a safe community.”

Moon Mi-young, head of the Dementia Health Division, said, “The core of creating a Life Respect Safe Village is to spread a culture of life respect and build a dense suicide prevention safety net through cooperation with various institutions in the community,” and added, “We will continue to strengthen cooperation with multiple institutions and continuously discover participating organizations.”

Meanwhile, those who have difficult-to-express concerns such as depression or have family or acquaintances facing similar difficulties can receive counseling at the Namyangju City Mental Health Welfare Center.