What Is the Key to the Great Success of Yongsan-gu's Life Respect Project?

Yongsan-gu Suicide Rate 18.5 per 100,000 Population, Decreased Sharply by 30.5% Compared to Previous Year
Largest Decrease Rate Among 25 Seoul Districts, Ranked 1st
Various Suicide Prevention Activities Including Psychological Support Programs and Life Respect Musicals Conducted

The efforts of Yongsan-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Park Hee-young) to promote respect for life have resulted in a significant reduction in the suicide rate.

According to the recently released "2022 Cause of Death Statistics" by Statistics Korea, the number of suicide deaths in South Korea last year was 12,906, with a suicide rate of 25.2 per 100,000 people, ranking first among OECD countries. Since 2018, South Korea has held the unfortunate distinction of having the highest suicide rate among OECD countries.

The suicide rate in Yongsan-gu is 18.5 per 100,000 people, a 30.5% decrease from 26.6 in 2021. This is the highest reduction rate among the 25 autonomous districts of Seoul, indicating the largest decline in suicide rates.

The average suicide rate in Seoul is 21.4 per 100,000 people, with an average reduction rate of 5.3%.

The district attributes this to its continuous implementation of various projects aimed at spreading awareness of respect for life and suicide prevention. Rather than standardized projects, the focus was on training suicide prevention guardians and implementing customized suicide prevention programs tailored to life cycles for high-risk groups and specific areas, which proved effective.

Yongsan-gu has set the goal of becoming a "safe and healthy district free from suicide" and is working to reduce suicide rates through detailed projects aimed at ▲creating a social suicide prevention environment ▲providing customized suicide prevention services ▲strengthening the foundation for suicide prevention policy implementation.

Every year on "Suicide Prevention Day (September 10)," the district produces banners and promotional materials featuring winning entries from the "Respect for Life and Love of Life Contest" held with residents, to promote awareness of respect for life.

Suicide prevention education, which was previously conducted in a lecture format for local students, has been combined with cultural performances to engage students more actively, resulting in great response to the life-respecting musical "I am a Butterfly."

In particular, the district conducted the psychological support program "Mind Workshop" for young and middle-aged adults identified as high-risk groups. For these groups, who find it difficult to care for their mental health due to economic activities and studies, the program included ▲depression and stress assessments ▲group counseling through reading ▲one-on-one in-depth counseling to enhance resilience against internal and external stimuli.

Additionally, through the Yongsan-gu Mental Health Welfare Center, various supports are provided, including ▲consultations with psychiatrists ▲response to mental illness and high-risk suicide groups in cooperation with police and fire departments ▲one-stop services for suicide bereaved families ▲financial support for bereaved families' treatment costs.

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, stated, "Even in situations where mental health is severely threatened by COVID-19 and economic downturns, the spread of respect for life awareness is the result of various prevention projects and the efforts of all residents." He added, "We will discover and actively support projects that truly help residents by reflecting age-specific and regional characteristics."

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