Beginning October 1, the suicide prevention counseling line 109 will remain accessible even when a mobile phone’s outgoing calls have been restricted due to unpaid telecommunications bills. By designating 109 as an emergency telecommunications line, the government aims to strengthen communication accessibility so that counseling can be connected in a suicide crisis regardless of a phone’s service status.
 [코리안투데이] Guide to the designation of the suicide prevention counseling line 109 as an emergency telecommunications line © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT (led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon), the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong) and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (Chairperson Jeong Il-yeon) announced that they are jointly pursuing the designation of the suicide prevention counseling line 109 as an emergency telecommunications line. The three agencies will reinforce the communication safety net so that citizens facing a suicide crisis can reach 109 regardless of their mobile phone’s service status.
Under the Act on the Prevention of Suicide and the Creation of a Culture of Respect for Life, 109 operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year as a toll-free line for which callers are not charged. Unlike 112 or 119, however, it had not been designated an emergency telecommunications line, leaving a blind spot in which it was difficult to use when outgoing calls were restricted due to unpaid bills or similar reasons.
An emergency telecommunications line is a special number designated by the Ministry of Science and ICT under the Telecommunications Business Act to maintain social order and protect human life. Telecommunications carriers must keep such numbers connectable even when outgoing service has been suspended for reasons such as overdue payments. At present, eight numbers are designated: national security reporting and counseling (111), crime reporting (112), espionage reporting (113), school violence reporting and counseling (117), cyber terrorism reporting and counseling (118), fire and distress reporting (119), maritime accident and crime reporting (122) and smuggling reporting (125). Among these, school violence reporting and counseling (117) was designated in 2013 at the request of the National Police Agency.
The improvement began after citizens voiced on the presidential office’s social media channels (SNS) that they had difficulty using 109 when their mobile phone’s outgoing calls were suspended due to financial hardship. Drawing on these voices, the three agencies reviewed the current system and consulted among the relevant ministries on ways to make counseling possible even when outgoing calls are restricted.
As a result, the Ministry of Science and ICT determined that 109 meets the requirement for emergency telecommunications line designation of ‘protecting public safety’ and immediately began improving the system. Considering that revising the official notice normally takes about three months, the ministry proactively pursued the necessary system development after prior consultation with carriers and others, deciding to apply the change from October 1 even before the notice revision is completed. It also plans to carry out the notice revision procedure as swiftly as possible, including shortening the administrative pre-announcement period from the current 20 days to 10 days. In addition, device manufacturers will voluntarily cooperate by adding 109 to the emergency call list on mobile phones so that it can be dialed directly from the lock screen. As the ministry operating 109, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will support the matters needed to run it as an emergency telecommunications line.
Thanks to this measure, people whose telecommunications service is restricted for financial reasons will be able to seek help through 109 at the very moment crisis counseling is most urgently needed, and the blind spot that had been left unaddressed is expected to be resolved. In effect, a genuine safety net is being created for citizens in crisis whose connection had been cut off due to their communication circumstances at the moment help was most needed.
Nam Seok, Director-General for Telecommunications Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, ‘The 109 line is the number citizens turn to at their most desperate moments, and it meets the requirements of an emergency telecommunications line.’ He added, ‘Through swift system improvement and active cooperation with the telecommunications industry, we will quickly build a communication safety net so that anyone can use 109 at any time.’
Lee Sun-young, Director-General for Mental Health Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, ‘With this designation as an emergency telecommunications line, we can spread awareness that the suicide prevention counseling line 109 is an emergency line for preventing suicide and strengthen its function as a safety net.’ She added, ‘It will be of real help to citizens facing a suicide crisis.’
Oh Jung-taek, Director-General of the Civil Rights Improvement Policy Bureau at the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, emphasized, ‘Suicide prevention counseling must be reachable at the moment help is most needed.’ He said, ‘This improvement is meaningful in that the relevant ministries worked together to swiftly devise a solution, starting from the voices of citizens submitted to the presidential office.’
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
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