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Depression, anxiety rampant inside ministry charged with Koreans' mental health

Published: 14 Oct. 2025, 14:09

Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong attends a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on Oct. 1 at Government Complex Seoul in central Seoul. [NEWS1]

More than 70 percent of officials at the Ministry of Health and Welfare — the government ministry in charge of curbing Korea's suicide rate — are at risk of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and insomnia, according to an ongoing internal study.

Rep. Baek Jong-hean of the People Power Party, who sits on the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, obtained data from the Health Ministry on Monday showing that the ministry has been conducting a five-month study titled the “2025 Mental Health Evaluation of Health Ministry Staff” (translated) since May 30.

The Health Ministry launched the survey after growing concerns that its employees were under severe stress while leading the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s medical and pension reforms — two of the four major reforms that also include labor and education.
The study is being conducted by Kim Jeong-hyeon, a psychiatry professor at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, along with a joint research team. Of the ministry’s 860 employees, 642, or 74 percent, participated in the survey.

Preliminary results showed that 40.5 percent of respondents, or 260 officials, experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms. That rate is more than double the national average of 19 percent and significantly higher than the 6.3 percent found in a similar survey of firefighters.

“The single most alarming indicator was the 40.5 percent of respondents with moderate or severe depressive symptoms,” Prof. Kim said in a written response to the JoongAng Ilbo. “This level of depression warrants immediate professional evaluation and treatment.”

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, right, meets with Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong on Oct. 13 at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul. [NEWS1]

In the anxiety category, 21.2 percent of respondents reported symptoms in the past two weeks that required clinical attention. Only 43.1 percent of staff were evaluated to be in a normal range.

Sleep disorders were also prevalent. About 65.7 percent of respondents, or 422 staff, reported sleep-related issues. Of them, 26.4 percent had moderate or severe insomnia and 7.2 percent showed symptoms severe enough to raise suicide concerns.

Problematic drinking was another issue, with 15 percent of staff, or 96 people, falling into the risk group for alcohol misuse. Of them, 8.6 percent were considered high-risk, possibly meeting the criteria for alcohol use disorder.

Overall, 74.9 percent of respondents, or 481 officials, fell into the high-risk category for at least one of four areas: depression, anxiety, sleep or alcohol use. That figure is 31 percentage points higher than the comparable rate among firefighters at 43.9 percent.

“This is not just about individual vulnerability,” Kim said. “It’s a systemic crisis where the workplace environment is having a profound impact on employees’ mental health.”

Observers point to chronic overwork as a key driver of the mental health decline. Since 2020, the Health Ministry has been at the center of responses to major national crises including the Covid-19 pandemic, the Itaewon crowd crush in 2022 and ongoing conflicts with doctors over medical reform since 2024.

A senior receives a Covid-19 vaccine shot on Oct. 19, 2023, at a hospital in Gangseo District, western Seoul. [NEWS1]

The Itaewon crowd crush refers to a deadly Halloween weekend disaster on Oct. 29, 2022, in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, where 159 people were killed in a crowd surge.

During these emergencies, the ministry repeatedly dispatched or temporarily reassigned large numbers of staff, forcing many officials to juggle responsibilities in both their home divisions and temporary postings.

“I would finish work at 1 or 2 a.m., only to return by 9 a.m. the next day — weekends included,” said an official who worked at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters during the current medical crisis.

The relentless pace and constant reassignments have taken a visible toll on staff morale.

“Every time a major incident occurs, a new task force is formed, and dual assignments have become routine,” another employee said. “The internal fatigue is enormous.”

A government analysis found that the ministry’s workload is three times heavier than the average across 18 central government agencies. Compared to the five agencies with the highest workloads — including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor — the Health Ministry’s burden is still about 1.6 times greater.

That intensity has led to rising leave-of-absence rates. In 2024, 17.4 percent of the Health Ministry's staff took leave, compared to an average of 11.3 percent across other agencies.

Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong, far left, visits the National Emergency Medical Center in central Seoul, on Sept. 2 to encourage medical staff during a field meeting on improving the emergency medical system. [NEWS1]

The survey also found that more than half of respondents — 55.3 percent — reported feeling burned out. When including those who showed signs of overload at 18.1 percent, reduced efficacy at 14.3 percent and disengagement at 6.1 percent, the total rose to 93.8 percent of employees experiencing some form of psychological burnout at work.

“During the Covid-19 crisis, I once collapsed from exhaustion while working alone after all my team members had been dispatched,” one section chief said. “Others around me have taken medical leave due to overwork. Despite years of heavy workloads, promotions and staffing increases have barely materialized, and morale is deteriorating.”

While the average number of new staff added over the past five years across 16 central ministries was 34, the Health Ministry only gained seven new positions. In comparison, the Ministry of Land and the Ministry of Employment and Labor each added about 50.

“Leave requests are rising, leaving fewer people to take on even more work,” another section chief said. “At this point, I feel uncomfortable even encouraging my team to ‘keep working.’”

“I began this inquiry with the idea that happy people create a happy world, but the Health Ministry is currently in a very precarious state,” Rep. Baek said. “The ministry oversees policies for every stage of life for the Korean people. That’s why it’s all the more troubling.
“Expecting people to sustain themselves purely on a sense of mission has reached its limit. The government must acknowledge the gap between actual conditions and staffing, compensation and workload — and begin implementing practical solutions immediately,” added Baek.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHAE HYE-SEON, JUNG JONG-HOON [[email protected]]