Bereavement support

Losing family from far away weighs heavier. Counselling is available.

What is available

• Bereavement counselling — at mental health welfare centres and family centres.
• Support for the bereaved — separate programmes exist for those bereaved by suicide.
• Peer groups — meeting others with the same experience.
• Funeral support — schemes exist where cost is a problem. See funeral-support.
• Emergency welfare — where livelihood is threatened. See emergency-welfare.

How to get counselling

1. Contact 1577-0199 or your local mental health welfare centre.
2. Those bereaved by suicide can get dedicated support through 109 or the centre.
3. For multilingual counselling, call 1577-1366.
4. You are referred for hospital care if needed.
5. You can be pointed towards peer groups.

When a family member dies in your home country

• If you must return for the funeral, check re-entry procedures with 1345.
• You can ask your employer for compassionate leave — check your contract and workplace rules.
• Your embassy can explain the documentation around a death. See embassy-contacts.

Where to go

• 1577-0199 mental health helpline (24 hours)
• 109 suicide prevention line (support for the bereaved)
• 1577-1366 Danuri Call Centre (multilingual)
• 129 Health and Welfare Call Centre
• 1345 residence and re-entry enquiries

Questions people ask

I have to work; there's no time to grieve. That in itself is hard. Starting with a short phone consultation is fine.

I can't sleep and have no appetite. These are common reactions. If they persist, seek counselling or medical care. See depression-support.

My child has suffered a loss. Children may need counselling too. Ask your family centre and the school counsellor. See psychological-child.

I can't afford a funeral. See funeral-support and consult your community centre or 129.

Take care

There is no set timetable for grief. Don't drive yourself to "get over it" quickly. But if daily life becomes impossible or you have thoughts of dying, contact 109 or 1577-0199 immediately.

Related

mental-health-welfare · suicide-prevention · funeral-support · depression-support · emergency-welfare

Source

Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention www.kfsp.or.kr / As of 2026-08