Gyeonggi Province Launches 'Youth Life Protection Regional Safety Network Council' to Prevent Teen Suicide

Gyeonggi Province and related agencies are launching a continuous cooperation system to prevent youth suicide. On the 24th, Gyeonggi Province held the ‘1st Youth Life Protection Regional Safety Network Council’ at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office.

In line with the government's ‘Comprehensive Government Initiative for Teen Suicide Prevention,’ the council aims to establish an integrated governance system in the local community, with the suicide prevention officer (Deputy Governor for Administration) overseeing operations and the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education taking the lead in participation.

Participants acknowledged that mental health indicators among Gyeonggi Province youth have reached concerning levels. They agreed that rapid and precise intervention is urgently needed to address the diversifying youth crisis patterns, particularly the increasing suicide rate among female adolescents, the trend of suicide risks occurring at younger ages, and mental health issues affecting isolated or reclusive youth and out-of-school adolescents.

Participants then focused discussions on △crisis response systems and information sharing among agencies regarding youth suicide and self-harm △early detection of at-risk youth both inside and outside schools △rapid referral of high-risk youth to counseling and treatment institutions △joint response measures in emergency situations △and strengthening post-attempt recovery and follow-up management.

In particular, participants decided to continuously operate proactive mental health prevention systems and close-knit counseling and healing infrastructure support centered on the Office of Education, and to establish joint crisis response cooperation systems and joint response measures promoted by Gyeonggi Province to continuously reduce support gaps that may occur in the referral and linkage processes between agencies.

Yu Young-chul, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Health and Wellness Bureau (Vice Chair of the Council), stated, “Protecting our youth's precious lives is only possible when the entire community becomes united as a solid safety net and works in close solidarity. We will regularly operate working-level meetings to ensure that the Office of Education's professional counseling infrastructure works organically with the emergency response systems of health, medical, fire, and police agencies so that not a single child is neglected or abandoned.”