Latest news with #BaekJong-woo
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
Amid surging teen suicides, budget for in-school counseling services declines
The recent deaths of three high school students in Busan have again cast a spotlight on mental health among South Korean teenagers. Despite the rise in the number of suicides among Korean adolescents, existing mental health support systems continue to falter in part due to budget cuts. While the government has rolled out emergency mental health hotlines specifically for students and established in-school counseling centers — known as 'Wee Class' — the budget for their operation has been shrinking. The Ministry of Education's budget for Wee Classes and emergency mental health hotlines has dropped to 1.05 billion won ($774,000) in 2025 from 1.2 billion won in 2021, according to the government data. Doubts have also been raised about the effectiveness of the system, because Wee Classes, first introduced in 2008, are a long way from being accessible for all students nationwide. As of 2024, roughly 12,000 schools are operating in Korea. However, data also suggested that one in four of such schools do not offer mental health support. On the other hand, teen suicides continued to surge. A total of 475 teenagers died by suicide in 2023 — a 54.7 percent increase from 307 in 2015, According to the Korean National Police Agency's data presented by Rep. Park Jeong-hyeon of the Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday. Among middle and high school students, 42.3 percent reported experiencing significant stress, while 27.7 percent showed indications of depression. Also, an emotional and behavioral assessment taken in 2024 by the Ministry of Education identified 17,667 students as being at risk of suicide. Including those considered vulnerable to emotional distress, over 72,000 students were flagged for additional attention. Experts stress that preventing suicide among teenagers requires access to timely intervention and treatment, but also for the issue to be accepted as a social problem, not an individual one. 'The issue of suicide, whether that is centered around students or not, should never be perceived as a problem that only the victim had to deal with. Instead, it should be an issue that society should look back on together and ask questions such as, 'why did things have to turn out the way it did?' and 'what can we do to prevent it?,'' psychiatry professor Baek Jong-woo of Kyung Hee University told The Korea Herald. 'We need effective, stronger programs for suicide prevention and there is a need for mandatory education and counseling — especially among vulnerable groups.' Baek added that there was also a need in dismantling academic competition. 'In an education system that makes students measure their value based on their achievements, it's easy to deprive such students of finding meaning or satisfaction in life. The system in which the students can access to seek mental health assistance — such as Wee Classes — must be made accessible for all so that help feels easier to reach.' If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, dial the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 109, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
Concerns rise as some Korean teens seem to take suicide lightly
Teen suicide rate rises to 7.9 deaths per 100,000 teens in 2023; experts call for stronger mental health support Mental health professionals are calling for stronger support systems and suicide prevention education as concerns over teenagers taking suicide lightly circulate here after three high school students in Busan took their own lives. On June 21, three high school students were found dead after falling from the rooftop of an apartment building. According to notes written by two of the three students recovered by investigators, the students cited academic stress and pressure as primary factors behind their deaths. Gangnam-gu Office in Seoul had also reported taking suicide prevention actions of its own in recent weeks, following reports of a growing number of Korean teenagers flocking to high-rise buildings near Gangnam Station. Some were allegedly drawn to certain buildings out of cuirosity from rumors that labeled certain buildings 'suicide landmarks.' 'We're not sure where the rumor first circulated, but some students allegedly visit the buildings based on rumors claiming that dying in high-rise buildings around Gangnam Station guarantees passage to the afterlife in heaven,' a Gangnam-gu Office official told The Korea Herald. 'Many building managers reported to us that they see several teenagers visiting buildings rooftop spaces at least once every month,' the official added. 'Ever since a teenager livestreamed her suicide ... in Gangnam in 2023, the building managers told us that it seems like any high-rise building in the district is deemed a suicide hotspot.' According to the district office official, the reason teenagers cite most for visiting such buildings is curiosity: 'to see what it would feel like before jumping off such a high building.' Observing such trends, mental health professionals stated that suicide is increasingly being portrayed as something akin to 'easy exit out of a problem.' 'With suicide rates among teenagers increasing steadily in recent years, it seems like suicide is being increasingly portrayed not as an act of despair, but as a legitimate solution to problems,' professor Hong Hyun-joo from Hallym University's Department of Neurology told The Korea Herald. According to Statistics Korea, suicide rates among teenagers have risen to 7.9 suicides per 100,000 teenagers in 2023 from 5.5 suicides in 2011, while other age groups have shown declining rates. 'Instead of focusing on the events of suicide itself, we need to focus on those who are left behind. We need systems that help the teenagers recognize when they're struggling and encourage them to seek help,' psychiatrist Baek Jong-woo of Kyung Hee University Hospital told The Korea Herald. 'More schools need to offer more programs to build emotional resilience in students, such as on-campus mental health counseling centers for students at risk, or mental health training sessions that help students manage their academic stress.'
