The South Korean government convened the inaugural meeting of the Mental Health Policy Innovation Committee at the National Center for Mental Health on 26 June.

Following the announcement of the establishment of the Innovation Committee at the Mental Health Policy Vision Declaration Conference on December 5, presided over by the President, the government has since prepared for its launch by formulating the statutory basis and determining the committee’s composition. The Innovation Committee is to serve as a forum for foster societal dialogue and comprehensively innovating mental health policies.

The Innovation Committee comprises private-sector chairman Shin Young-chul (currently a professor of psychiatry at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital), a government member (the Minister of Health and Welfare), individuals with mental illnesses, families of suicide victims, field practitioners, and 21 relevant experts as civil members. 

Former World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has been appointed as a special advisor. The Innovation Committee’s mandate includes gathering cross-sectoral opinions on mental health policy innovation, providing consultations and policy/institutional recommendations, and developing a roadmap for implementing innovations through issue coordination.

At the first meeting of the Innovation Committee, the following items were discussed: Detailed implementation plans for mental health policy innovation; Operational plans for the Mental Health Policy Innovation Committee, and Campaign plans to improve mental health awareness.