Gwangju and Jeonnam face shortage of school counselors amid student suicide crisis

Data revealed by lawmaker Seo Bum-soo shows that 62 students in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions have died by suicide between 2022 and June 2024. The figures indicate a significant gap in mental health support within schools.

In Gwangju, professional counseling teachers are stationed in only 50.6% of the 324 elementary, middle, and high schools. The situation in Jeonnam is more critical, with a placement rate of just 30.2% across 830 schools, the second lowest in South Korea. Even when including itinerant counseling teachers, the coverage in Jeonnam reaches only 38.4%, leaving more than six out of ten schools without dedicated professional counseling staff.

Lawmaker Seo has called on the government to strengthen scientific analysis systems for student crises and to urgently implement comprehensive measures to expand professional counseling personnel and improve early detection and support systems.