AI chatbot, community-based counselors to bolster access to mental health support
Seoul is confronting persistent suicide pressures, even as its rate remains the lowest in the country, prompting the city to expand both human and artificial intelligence-driven support systems.
Newly released data shows Seoul recorded 2,234 suicide deaths in 2024, or 6.1 per day, with a rate of 24.1 per 100,000 people — below the national average of 29.1, but still high by international standards. The average among member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2023 was 10.7.
In response, Seoul convened its first Suicide Prevention Committee in November 2025. The body is designed to function as the command center for related policies.
The committee is tasked with recognizing suicide as a major social issue and building a comprehensive and systematic response structure across departments. Through cooperation among units handling different life stages and policy areas, the city plans to set priorities and identify effective measures.
As part of efforts to widen access to support for mental health, the city also announced the introduction of "Maeumi," a natural-language AI chatbot integrated into its crisis hotline.
The chatbot offers immediate emotional support for concerns such as depression, anxiety and suicide risk even before callers are connected to a human counselor. Through empathetic conversations, Maeumi will help alleviate tension and guide users toward real-time chat or phone counseling within several exchanges, enabling quicker response in crises, according to the government.
The service is available at any time via the Seoul Suicide Prevention Center website on PC or mobile devices, without requiring membership or registration, allowing people to seek help more easily.
Recognizing that technology and professional personnel alone cannot meet rising mental health needs, the city is also introducing a new community-based counseling system.
The program recruits individuals with lived experience, such as retired workers from the health and welfare sectors, suicide survivors and bereaved family members.
These counselors will undergo expanded training in partnership with private institutions, including about three months of practicum and supervised counseling. Beginning in the second half of this year, they will serve as real-time chat and phone responders through a flexible schedule, supplementing workforce shortages while improving response rates.
Seoul officials said the combined approach of strengthening governance, deploying AI tools and expanding community-based human support aims to build a more accessible, responsive and sustainable suicide-prevention system for the city's residents.
If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline 1393, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.
jychoi@heraldcorp.com
