Chu Mi-ae Declares 'Life-Safe Gyeonggi Province'... "Not a Single Life Will Be Lost"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Chu Mi-ae has officially declared the 'Life Safety Vision of the 9th Popularly Elected Administration' for a 'Life-Safe Gyeonggi Province' that does not lose a single life.

At the '2026 Suicide Prevention Day Commemoration Event' held at Dasan Hall, Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office on September 14, Governor Chu presented the 'Life Safety 100·10·1' initiative, announcing the goal to reduce the number of suicide deaths per 100,000 inhabitants from 28.2 in 2024 to 22.6 by 2030, a 20% decrease.

The 'Life Safety 100·10·1' initiative stands for 100% establishment of a life safety net, intensive management of 10 key life safety issues, and a one-stop life safety system that ensures not a single individual is missed.

Governor Chu stated, "In 2024, 3,829 Gyeonggi residents ended their own lives, and the suicide rate among teenagers reached 8.3 per 100,000, the highest figure since statistics have been kept." She added, "We must transform our society from one that demands individuals become stronger on their own, to a society where people can lean on each other during difficult times."

She continued, "Suicide prevention is not simply a policy to prevent death, but rather requires comprehensive policies in welfare, education, and labor to support individuals until they find a reason to live again." She emphasized, "We will build a system to detect warning signs earlier and promptly connect people to 24-hour counseling, emergency response, and treatment."

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae is speaking at the '2026 Suicide Prevention Day Commemoration Event' held at Dasan Hall of Gyeonggi Provincial Office on the 14th. Photo by Gyeonggi Province

Gyeonggi Province has set 10 core initiatives: early detection of life crises in the community, early intervention for children, adolescents, and young people, preemptive identification of high-risk groups among the middle-aged and elderly, 24-hour life safety response, immediate linkage for those who attempt suicide, continuous management of high-risk groups, support for bereaved families, and prevention of social isolation within the community.

According to Gyeonggi Province, psychological autopsies have found that 64.7% of suicide victims experienced four or more compounded stress events before death, such as mental health issues, economic difficulties, unemployment, illnesses, and family problems. In response, Gyeonggi Province plans to shift to a proactive response system that not only provides counseling and treatment but also swiftly links individuals to support for welfare, jobs, financial matters, and housing, and helps them return to daily life.

Additionally, suicide prevention will not be limited to the health sector but will connect the province and its 31 cities and counties, welfare, economic, job creation, and education departments, police, fire services, medical institutions, education offices, and the local community into a single life safety network.

Governor Chu pledged, "Protecting one person's today is also protecting their tomorrow, and all those tomorrows together create the future of our community. We will create a Life-Safe Gyeonggi Province where not a single life is lost."

More than 350 people attended the event, including Kim Donggyu, Chair of the Health and Welfare Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, other provincial council members, suicide prevention experts, suicide prevention officers from cities and counties, police, firefighters, the medical community, religious leaders, and representatives of bereaved families. The event included a commemorative photo session for 29 individuals who contributed to life protection, as well as a policy forum on suicide prevention.

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