President Lee Jae-myung called Korea's high suicide rate "a global embarrassment" and ordered the government to devote its efforts to suicide prevention measures.
At a Cabinet meeting held at the former presidential office on Monday, Lee made the remarks after receiving a report on suicide prevention measures from the Office for Government Policy Coordination and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. "Given Korea's current global standing, having this many suicides makes no sense," he said.
Lee also questioned whether the management system for those classified as high-risk for suicide, including people with depression or mental illness, is adequate, drawing on his own experience with court trials.
"I have personal pain and experience," Lee said. "In the field of mental health, based on my experience, (administrative systems) hardly function and everything is left to individuals, which sometimes leads to sad outcomes."
When the health minister noted that voluntary treatment is difficult because those with mental illness often do not recognize their condition as an illness, Lee pointed out: "The law allows for compulsory diagnosis and the provision of treatment opportunities, but when that is done, it triggers backlash and resistance, becoming a social issue."
"I hope government policy on mental health can be discussed separately," he said. "The law has its own response system, but I stood trial for several years because I gave up on applying that response system in the law. It's absurd."
Lee added: "Even though it's written in the law, heads of local governments and civil servants absolutely refuse to do it. They all run away, and if someone does act, they get indicted for abuse of authority and put on trial. Who would want to do it?"
The remarks appear to reference a case in which Lee, during his tenure as Seongnam mayor in June 2012, instructed a public health center chief and others to have his elder brother Lee Jae-sun committed to a psychiatric hospital. He was indicted on charges of giving false statements about the matter during a TV debate ahead of the 2018 local elections, and was ultimately acquitted after a retrial following a Supreme Court remand.
At the time, Lee argued that his actions constituted a lawful execution of public duty as a compulsory diagnosis of a mentally ill person as stipulated by law.
The Mental Health Welfare Act allows heads of local governments to request diagnosis and protection for those suspected of posing a risk of harm to others due to mental illness.
When the health minister mentioned strengthening on-site response infrastructure for mental health, Lee pointed out: "Everyone turns a blind eye and leaves it to individuals. It's a national tragedy and a family tragedy."
Upon hearing that the number of counselors on the suicide prevention hotline stands at 103, falling short of the authorized quota of 120 due to budget constraints, Lee proposed: "How about dramatically increasing it to at least 100 percent of the quota?"
When the minister said 200 counselors would be appropriate, Lee said, "For now, try receiving temporary private support," before adding with a laugh, "I wonder if I might get charged with third-party bribery for doing this."
"Starting next year, or if there's an opportunity for a supplementary budget, how about including it in the supplementary budget?" he said. "It makes no sense that when a member of this nation calls saying they want to die, the phone doesn't connect."
