Incheon to Provide Psychological Support to Citizens Affected by Guwol-dong Knife Attack ... On-Site Counseling and Mind Relief Bus Services

【Financial News, Incheon = Han Gap-su, Staff Writer】 Incheon City is providing on-site counseling and support through referrals to specialized institutions to help citizens recover psychologically from the shock of the recent incident at a mixed-use commercial complex in Guwol-dong. Support is available not only to citizens who witnessed the incident firsthand but also to nearby business owners and residents experiencing psychological difficulties such as anxiety and sleep disorders. Incheon City said on the 15th that it would set up a psychological support booth near the scene and deploy a mobile mental health counseling vehicle, the Mind Relief Bus, to provide emergency counseling to citizens.
The on-site psychological support booth will operate in the commercial building where the incident occurred from the 15th through the 23rd. Mental health professionals and psychological counselors will be on hand to provide counseling tailored to each person’s circumstances. The Mind Relief Bus will be stationed on a road near the mixed-use commercial complex from the 19th through the 23rd. Both facilities will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Those eligible for support include not only witnesses, visitors to the area around the scene and local business owners, but also local residents who report anxiety, depression, sleep disorders or other difficulties after hearing about the incident.
The Mind Relief Bus will offer stress assessments and basic mental health screenings, as well as in-depth counseling, opportunities to try psychological stabilization devices and guidance on coping with trauma. The initiative will focus not only on initial consultations but also on identifying people who need further care and connecting them with professional support.
Citizens who have difficulty visiting the scene or need counseling outside operating hours can call the 24-hour mental health counseling hotline. Phone counseling is also available through the Namdong-gu Mental Health Welfare Center.
If someone is identified during counseling as being at high risk and needing ongoing care, the city plans to connect them with the Namdong-gu Mental Health Welfare Center for continued professional counseling and treatment support.
The city plans to continue caring for high-risk individuals identified through this on-site support and strengthen the community’s psychological recovery support system so it can respond quickly when similar incidents occur in the future.
Nam Yeong-hui, Incheon’s vice mayor for balanced development, said, “We will work hard to provide on-site support so that citizens directly or indirectly affected by this incident can regain their psychological stability.”
[email protected] Han Gap-su Reporter