Expansion of 24-Hour Mental Health Emergency Centers... 100 Independent Living Homes for People with Mental Illnesses to Be Provided

Ministry of Health and Welfare Announces the "3rd Basic Mental Health and Welfare Plan"

"Treatment Available Anytime for Emotional Distress"... Mental Health Safety Net to Be Strengthened Over Five Years

Nationwide Psychological Counseling S

By 2030, the number of regional psychiatric emergency medical centers will be expanded to 17 nationwide, and housing support services to help people with mental illnesses achieve independence will be fully introduced.

On March 27, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, together with relevant ministries, officially announced the "3rd Basic Mental Health and Welfare Plan (2026-2030)," which contains 53 detailed tasks across six key areas.

The government plans to focus its budget and workforce on initiatives such as introducing AI-based psychological care and expanding mental health checkups for young people, with the aim of strengthening national responsibility throughout the entire process from prevention to treatment and recovery of mental health issues.

First, to enable a swift response to mental health emergencies, infrastructure will be reinforced. The number of "regional psychiatric emergency medical centers," which provide 24-hour treatment even in cases accompanied by trauma or physical illness, will increase from the current 13 to 17 by 2030. Additionally, the government plans to secure 180 public beds (up from 130 in 2025) and 310 emergency beds in intensive care units (from the current 62).

To further enhance emergency response, joint response centers operated in cooperation between mental health professionals and the police will be expanded to 18 locations nationwide. At the same time, a real-time bed information sharing system for psychiatric medical institutions (m-care) will be implemented, and a "psychiatric emergency medical situation room" (tentative name) will be piloted to systematically support appropriate bed allocation and patient transfers.

"Intensive care beds," which offer enhanced facilities and staffing for acute patients with high treatment needs, will be significantly increased from 391 to 2,000. In addition, "hospital-based case management" and "day wards" will be converted into full-scale projects to ensure continuity of care so that patients can be stably reintegrated into their communities after discharge.

Efforts will also be made to create environments that enable people with mental illnesses to live independently in their communities. Customized housing support, such as independent living preparation housing, will be expanded to 100 units, and team-based housing support services involving both professionals and peer supporters will be provided.

To support economic independence, pilot projects that offer work experience will be implemented, and the number of "peer supporters"—people with mental health conditions who help others in recovery—will be increased to about 300, with wage support also provided. "Peer support shelters," which can be used during temporary crises, will also be expanded to 17 nationwide.

In response to the rapidly growing problem of substance abuse, the number of treatment and protection institutions for narcotics will be expanded to 18, and the development of digital therapeutics for addiction treatment will be supported. In the suicide prevention field, the scope of psychological autopsies will be expanded to include adolescents, and an AI-driven monitoring system will be established to detect and block online suicide incitement information in real time.

To strengthen everyday mental health support, psychological counseling services will be improved. In addition to targeting high-risk groups for depression and anxiety, visiting and remote counseling services for those with mobility difficulties will be introduced. AI technology will also be used to assist counseling and expand care for preventing solitary deaths.

Support for young people will be further strengthened by identifying at-risk groups early through national health checkups and military service examinations, and by establishing early intervention systems through initial treatment fee support and psychological counseling vouchers. For children and adolescents, professional counseling staff will be fully deployed in schools, and "emergency support teams" that proactively reach out to students in crisis will be expanded to 100 locations by 2030.

Lee Hyunghoon, the Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, emphasized, "Since anyone can experience depression and anxiety, we will work to create a robust mental health safety net so that people can receive understanding and comfortable treatment for emotional pain."

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