(123rf)
(123rf)

The South Korean government said Wednesday that an assistance service for people who have lost family members to suicide will be available at 17 metropolitan and provincial areas across the country.

One-stop help centers for families of suicide deaths will be set up in Busan, Ulsan, Gyeonggi Province and the North and South Jeolla provinces this year, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and its affiliated Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The centers are currently located in 12 regions, including Seoul, after initials test runs in Incheon, Gwangju and Gangwon Province.

The help centers provide psychological consultations as well as cleanup, administrative and legal aid, financial support and assistance in acquiring temporary residence for those who have experienced the suicide of loved ones, in a bid to help them return to normal life.

According to officials, 11.2 percent of the bereaved families that they reached out to had thought of suicide themselves, but none were still contemplating it after a year of receiving assistance.

The percentage of bereaved families experiencing depression also dropped from 27.8 percent to 3.8 percent in that time period.

In a bid to assist officials at newly launched centers, the Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention will train them on the project's manuals and provide consultations within the first half of this year.

Since 2023, the foundation has been subsidizing up to 1 million won ($700) per person for medical treatments of suicide attempts and for the bereaved families of suicide deaths, but only to those with low income. The income requirement for treatment will be removed sometime this year, with 1.97 billion won allocated via government budget and private funding.

* If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline at 109, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com