A policy forum in Wonju has put a sharp number on the city's mental-health emergency problem: from January through July, 49 of 63 emergency psychiatric transfers were sent outside the city. That is 77.8 percent, despite three local institutions being able to handle administrative or emergency admissions. The forum brought together city officials, medical experts, police, fire services, mental-health workers and family representatives.
Participants argued that the response system needs both more local receiving capacity and clearer coordination. Proposals included standardizing risk assessments, defining agency responsibilities from bed search through transport and admission, expanding staffing and funding for mental-health centers, and strengthening 24-hour specialist response. The issue is operational rather than abstract: when a local bed cannot be found, a patient in crisis may have to travel much farther before treatment begins.