Military counseling hotline helps service members

By Jung Da-min

A phone counseling service for the military service members has been proven effective, as the number of members deserting or committing suicide has significantly reduced since the service opened, according to the Ministry of National Defense's (MND) Criminal Investigation Command (CIC), Jan. 20.

First launched in 2013 to help the military protect the basic human rights of service members, the MND Help Call has had about 295,000 consultations, about 42,000 cases a year on average.

The consultations cover a broad range of issues, from suicidal impulses to overall concerns with military life, relationships with friends and family, and career path-related questions.

According to the CIC, the number of service suicides decreased by 22.7 percent from 79 in 2013 to 61 in 2019. The number of desertions from the military service also declined by 83.7 percent during the same period, from 643 to 105.

Based on the effects, the ministry has expanded the service by increasing the number of professional counselors at the Help Call office from 17 last year to 21. The number of call lines has also been extended to cover 10 calls at the same time, up from last year's four. For missed calls, the office has been running a callback service.

A speech-to-text function has been introduced, which automatically converts the voice content during the phone consultations into text so that the counsellors would not have to handle extra administrative tasks such as building a database. Caller identity will not be saved in the database.

“Each counselor is like a guardian angel to the service members of our country,” Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said in the opening ceremony for the expanded Help Call office at the CIC headquarters in the ministry complex in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Jan. 20. “I hope they continue to do their best in helping those in difficulties and saving lives inside the military.”

The phone number for the consultation service is 1303.