The government officially launched the presidential committee on mental health policy on Wednesday and began preparing a roadmap to implement mental health policies that cover the prevention, treatment, and recovery of mental illness.

The committee held its first meeting, presided by President Yoon Suk Yeol, and discussed ways to operate the committee.

The committee is chaired by Professor Shin Young-chul from Kangbuk Samsung Hospital's Department of Psychiatry, health minister Cho Kyoo-hong, along with 21 civilian members including those suffering from mental illnesses, and bereaved families of those who committed suicide. Former World Bank president Jim Yong Kim was appointed as special advisor.

The committee announced it will hold a main committee meeting twice a year to collect opinions of people from all walks of life and discuss the direction of a full-cycle mental health policy.

It also vowed to provide professional counseling services starting next month, with a goal to provide a service package to one million people within 2027.