Dongdaemun-gu Achieves 5th Place Nationwide in Suicide Prevention Cities

Ranked 5th Among 229 Local Governments in Suicide Prevention Cities Evaluation Hosted by National Assembly Suicide Prevention Forum... Selected for Two Consecutive Years as an Excellent Local Government in Suicide Prevention Projects Hosted by Ministry of Health and Welfare... The Only Autonomous District in Seoul

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor You Deok-yeol) achieved a top 3% ranking among 229 local governments nationwide in the suicide prevention city evaluation hosted by the National Assembly Suicide Prevention Forum, Life Insurance Social Contribution Committee, and Safety Practice Citizens' Coalition.

This represents a 7% improvement compared to last year, with Dongdaemun-gu ranking 5th.

The evaluation assessed the overall operational status of local governments, including suicide rates, organization, budget, and projects. Dongdaemun-gu not only promoted various suicide prevention projects but also secured its own budget and public contest project funds to implement community-based specialized suicide prevention projects, resulting in efforts to reduce the suicide rate.

The district received high marks for significantly contributing to the mental health improvement of local residents through various suicide prevention projects such as establishing a smart mental health screening system using unmanned mental health screening machines, mental health screenings in collaboration with primary medical institutions, and case management for high-risk suicide groups, as well as for securing personnel and budget.

Additionally, Dongdaemun-gu achieved excellent results according to the national local government suicide prevention implementation plan hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and received a commendation from the Minister of Health and Welfare last September.

This award is given to outstanding local governments that have devoted themselves to suicide prevention projects and fostering a culture of respect for life. Dongdaemun-gu was the only district in Seoul to be selected and achieved the distinction of being named an excellent local government for two consecutive years following 2019.

In particular, to provide psychological quarantine for residents whose depression and feelings of isolation have deepened due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the district is distributing mental health mail packages to households to enable residents to seek help in crisis situations.

The Dongdaemun-gu Mental Health Resident Education Group, composed of 17 life-keeper activists who have completed essential competency training, distributes packages containing depression screening forms, mental health postcards, the Ten Commandments for Depression, information on support organizations, and quarantine supplies (such as masks). After counseling, if a person is judged to be at high risk of suicide, they are connected to mental health welfare centers and psychiatric medical institutions to prevent extreme thoughts.

You Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, “As a result of various projects and considerable efforts to reduce the suicide rate in Dongdaemun-gu, good results have appeared. We will continue to do our best to protect the precious lives of our residents and strive to ensure that all residents can enjoy a healthy life.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.