Gangnam-gu Wins National Mind Investment Support Project Award

Nationwide No.1 Service Provider

Gangnam-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) announced on the 13th that it won the grand prize at the ‘National Mind Investment Support Project Excellent Local Governments and Meritorious Persons Awards Ceremony’ hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, held the previous day at the Koreana Hotel.

Commemorative photo after the Excellent Local Government Award Ceremony for the Mind Investment Support Project. Provided by Gangnam-gu.

The National Mind Investment Support Project is a program that provides psychological counseling vouchers worth up to 640,000 KRW per session for a total of 8 sessions to residents experiencing emotional difficulties such as depression and anxiety. The project has been in operation since July.

To promote this new project, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held a competition to select excellent local governments nationwide, evaluating various indicators such as service application rates, the number of registered service providers and personnel, and budget execution rates. A total of 67 local governments were selected, with Gangnam-gu chosen as one of the five grand prize winners nationwide.

Three months prior to the project launch, the district formed a dedicated team to prepare proactively for stable project operation. To recruit service providers, they actively promoted the program by sending mail to 227 locations including psychological counseling centers and mental health medical institutions. As a result, Gangnam-gu secured the largest number of 45 service providers nationwide, significantly improving residents’ access to psychological counseling. Dedicated personnel were assigned to issue referral letters at the Gangnam-gu Mental Health Welfare Center and Gangnam-gu Youth Psychological Support Center, establishing a system for continuous issuance.

Additionally, the district collaborated with the Seoul Gangnam-Seocho Office of Education, Seoul Gangnam and Suseo Police Stations, local mental health medical institutions, and related academic societies to raise awareness of the project in advance. They also conducted training sessions for staff at 22 community service centers and held project briefings, ensuring thorough preparation. To avoid missing residents in need of counseling services, they produced their own informational leaflets and banners for promotion, sent KakaoTalk notification messages to over 54,000 people, and broadcast promotional videos on elevator digital displays in apartment complexes.

Mayor Jo Seong-myeong stated, “This award is the result of our efforts to provide more professional and convenient counseling services to residents experiencing emotional difficulties. We will continue to firmly support the mental health of our residents through proactive responses and meticulous policies, doing our best to help more people regain healthy daily lives.”