Songpa Mental Health Welfare Center to Hold 20th Anniversary Ceremony on June 11

Seo Gangseok, Mayor of Songpa District,
“We Will Build an Inclusive City That Embraces the Socially Vulnerable”

Songpa District in Seoul announced on June 8 that it will hold a ceremony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Songpa Mental Health Welfare Center at 4:00 p.m. on June 11 at the Songpa Youth Center (4 Jungdae-ro 4-gil).

Event poster. Provided by Songpa District.

Approximately 200 people, including local residents, related institution officials, and public servants, will attend the event to look back on the center's 20-year history and share future directions for promoting mental health in the community.

The Songpa Mental Health Welfare Center (5 Yangsan-ro), which opened in Geoyeo-dong in 2005, has been operated by Asan Medical Center since last year. Currently, the center is responsible for the mental health of the community by carrying out a variety of programs, including rehabilitation and treatment cost support for people with severe mental illness, mental health education and counseling, and crisis intervention.

The ceremony will begin with a welcoming speech by Professor Lee Jungseon, Director of the Songpa Mental Health Welfare Center, followed by an award for residents who have contributed to mental health promotion in the district and the screening of a 20th anniversary commemorative video. Singer Harim will hold a mini-concert, and an individual who overcame mental illness after registering at the center will take the stage to share their recovery story.

The district continues to make multifaceted efforts to promote the mental health of local residents. In particular, the community garden project planned by the center last year was selected for the Asan Foundation’s public contest, securing up to 300 million won in funding for up to three years. This project aims to build a local community that includes both people with mental disabilities and residents without disabilities.

As the community’s mental health control tower, the center provides high-quality, life-cycle services ranging from the management of severe mental illness and suicide prevention to mental health promotion programs for children and adolescents, caring for the mental well-being of district residents.

Seo Gangseok, Mayor of Songpa District, stated, “Thanks to the passion and dedication of the center’s staff and the efforts of our residents, the mental health safety net in our community has become much stronger. We will use the footsteps of the past 20 years as a stepping stone to build an inclusive city where no resident is left behind and where we embrace the socially vulnerable.”