On September 29, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Korea Journalists Association, and the Central Mental Health and Welfare Project Support Team held the 2026 Mental Health Media Symposium, titled “Media, Caring for the Mind: Beyond Prejudice, Toward Empathy,” at Le Méridien Seoul Myeongdong in Jung-gu, Seoul.
The symposium was organized to examine the mental health of journalists and media professionals who experience job-related stress and trauma in the field of reporting and production, to share insights on how the media addresses mental health, and to explore the media’s role and avenues for collaboration in promoting balanced mental health coverage. The event, which ran from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., was attended by journalists, broadcasters, and new media content creators.
In Part 1, Shin Young-chul, director of Incheon Chamsarang Hospital and author of *Let’s Just Live*, delivered a “Healing Lecture for Exhausted Journalists.” The lecture focused on enhancing understanding of the mental health of journalists and media professionals working at disaster sites or in high-pressure reporting environments, as well as ways to prevent burnout.
The second part featured a panel discussion titled “Mental Health in the Frame: Toward Change,” moderated by Kim Hye-min, a former producer at YTN Radio. Panelists included Kim Yu-na, a reporter for Kookmin Ilbo; Baek Jong-woo, a professor at Kyung Hee University College of Medicine; Lee Young-ryeol, Director of the National Forensic Mental Health Hospital; Lee Jeong-ha, Representative of Padoson (Mental Disorders and Human Rights); Im Jeong-in, Program Manager for the “RTV” YouTube channel at Milal; and Choi Gwang-il, a producer at JTBC. The participants shared the results of big data analysis of social media conducted to change public perception and discussed ways for the press and media to collaborate in steering public perception of mental health toward empathy and understanding.
In her welcome remarks, Lee Seon-young, Director General of Mental Health Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, “No matter how comprehensive the government’s mental health safety net may be, if the barriers of misunderstanding and prejudice remain, citizens in need will not readily seek help,” and “The media and press are important policy partners that connect the public with mental health policies, and we will continue to communicate and cooperate closely with them in the future,” she added.
Baek Jong-woo, Director of the Central Support Team, remarked, “Mental health is part of our daily lives and a societal challenge, and the media serves as the most important channel for encouraging those suffering from mental distress to reach out to society without feeling marginalized.”
The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Korea Journalists Association, and the Central Support Team established the “Guidelines for Mental Health Reporting” in November 2024 and are working to promote their adoption. Based on the premise that mental illness is treatable, preventable, and recoverable, the guidelines explain that one in four people will experience mental health difficulties at least once in their lifetime. They further recommend avoiding expressions that foster stigma or fear—such as “escaping from a hospital”—or using diagnostic names as modifiers, such as “Mr. A with schizophrenia,” and advise against mentioning mental illness in article headlines.
They also advise against linking mental illness to crime based on unverified information, determining mental illness to be the sole cause of an incident, or using terms that imply repetition, such as “yet another” or “consecutive.” The full text of the guidelines is available on the websites of the Korea Journalists Association and the Central Support Team.
