Gyeonggi Province is implementing measures to reduce the suicide rate within the province.
On the 26th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it recently held a Suicide Prevention and Life Respect Committee meeting and established the "2025 Gyeonggi Province Suicide Prevention Implementation Plan." The core of the plan is to reduce the suicide rate in the province by increasing treatment accessibility through customized support tailored to specific groups and age ranges, such as youth and the elderly.
Every year, about 3,000 people in Gyeonggi Province take their own lives. The causes of death were mental health issues (36.6%), economic and living problems (27.7%), physical illness problems (14.2%), and family problems (5.6%), in that order.
Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province plans to strengthen early detection of high-risk groups and linkage to treatment support services through the "Nationwide Mind Investment Support Project," which provides psychological counseling services to general residents experiencing emotional difficulties such as depression and anxiety, and the "24-hour Mental Health Crisis Counseling Hotline (1577-0199)."
In this regard, from 2008 to 2024, Gyeonggi Province conducted a total of 189,272 mental health counseling sessions (an average of 11,134 per year) during nights and holidays, excluding weekdays. In cases of suicide crisis during phone counseling, cooperation was requested from 112 and 119 emergency services, resulting in the rescue of 182 suicide attempters last year.
Gyeonggi Province supports customized mental health treatment tailored to age-specific characteristics for high-risk groups such as those with depression and suicide crises.
In particular, as the youth suicide rate has recently increased, the existing support for youth mental health treatment costs was expanded last year to cover ages 15 to 34. Additionally, treatment costs for stress-related neurosis specialized for the youth group are also supported.
This year, Gyeonggi Province plans to further strengthen cooperation with related organizations such as the Office of Education and Youth Counseling Welfare Centers, along with youth suicide prevention campaigns, to lower the treatment threshold for adolescents and ensure they receive appropriate counseling and treatment.
As additional support measures for middle-aged and older adults, an online platform will be launched to assist those facing complex crisis situations such as unemployment or housing instability, and mental health information provision, counseling, and treatment linkage services will be expanded.
Yu Young-cheol, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Health and Wellness Bureau, stated, "It is important to strengthen policies from prevention throughout the life cycle to post-management to reduce the suicide rate and to eliminate blind spots. We will do our best to build a community safety net so that Gyeonggi residents can receive professional help rather than endure difficult situations alone."
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