Yoon: "Government to Support Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery of Mental Health Issues... Establishment of President-Direct Committee"

Yoon Presides Over 'Mental Health Policy Vision Declaration Ceremony'
Providing Professional Counseling Services to 1 Million People During Term
State Support from Prevention to Social Reintegration

President Yoon Suk-yeol announced on the 5th that he will establish a presidential committee directly under the president to enhance mental health in our society, discover new policies, and establish governance to oversee infrastructure and financial investment.

This is the first time a plan to establish a presidential committee related to mental health has been proposed. Given that South Korea has long faced mental health issues, with the highest suicide rate among OECD countries for several years and one of the lowest happiness indices, the government intends to take direct action to resolve these problems.

On the afternoon of the same day, President Yoon presided over the "Mental Health Policy Vision Proclamation Ceremony" at the Blue House State Guest House and stated, "I will do my best to complete the framework of mental health policy within my term and create a healthy and happy society for the people."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon pointed out, "Mental health problems have worsened due to rapid industrial development, the increase of single-person households, the collapse of communities including families, and excessive competition. However, individuals tend to avoid acknowledging and seeking treatment for these issues, and there has been almost no substantial national-level investment." He noted that advanced countries like the United States have successfully shifted their national mental health policies from treatment to prevention and rehabilitation since the 1960s, implying that South Korea must move away from the existing approach where individuals handle mental health issues on their own.

President Yoon also emphasized that mental health is directly linked to national growth. He said, "The government has the responsibility to protect all aspects of health from physical to mental health of the people. Mental health is directly connected to national growth, and when financial investment is made, the cost-benefit efficiency is very high. Empirical research shows that economic benefits from investing in mental health are two to three times the investment cost, and when including improved health, the benefits exceed five times."

President Yoon and the government plan to concretize innovative mental health policy measures through the presidential committee. At the ceremony, four goals were presented: ▲ Establishing a routine mental care system ▲ Reorganizing mental emergency response and treatment systems ▲ Innovating welfare services for full recovery ▲ Improving awareness and restructuring the mental health policy implementation system.

The government plans to build a mental care system that allows office workers to easily access professional counseling at their workplaces and students at their schools, aiming to provide professional counseling services to 80,000 people next year and 1 million people during President Yoon’s term. In particular, mental health checkups will be conducted biennially for youth to establish a routine mental care system.

To reorganize the mental emergency response and treatment system, the plan includes doubling the number of psychiatric emergency beds to ensure timely and quality treatment, installing them in every city, county, and district, and significantly improving inpatient environments. The case management system will also be strengthened to ensure that patients with severe mental illnesses can continue customized treatment without interruption.

Furthermore, the government plans to innovate employment and welfare service systems to support the full recovery and social reintegration of people with mental illnesses. Specifically, mental health rehabilitation infrastructure will be established in every city, county, and district to provide tailored services including vocational training and social adaptation training, and campaigns will be conducted to eliminate social prejudice and discrimination.

President Yoon stated, "In an era of low birth rates, solving mental health problems will enhance individual capabilities and quality of life, thereby driving national growth. The government will redesign the entire support system from prevention to treatment and recovery to fundamentally change the paradigm of mental health policy."

The meeting was attended by about 100 participants, including Iraha, the webtoon artist who created the original work of the recently aired drama "Morning Comes to the Psychiatric Ward," experts from mental health-related organizations, and individuals who have overcome mental illnesses, as well as representatives from the public, private, and government sectors.

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