Free counseling in Korea: where to get help, by who you are

CareOps editorial team · October 22, 2026 · 9 min read

Mental wellness information and service guidance published by CareOps.

If cost is what's holding you back from counseling, start with the places where you can talk for free. Where you live, your age and your workplace or school decide which options are open to you. This guide gathers only what we confirmed in official public notices.

Who can get free counseling, and where? #

Find the row that fits you. If several apply, start with whichever is closest to you.

We checked these conditions and session counts against official notices from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and other agencies in October 2026. Program eligibility and budgets change every year, so confirm with the provider before you apply. For costs in general, see our counseling cost guide.

Mental Health Welfare Centers: free for anyone #

Mental Health Welfare Centers are public mental health services found in every city, county and district in Korea. The Ministry of Health and Welfare describes them as free for anyone, from children to older adults. They provide mental health counseling and case management for local residents, connect people to other services and run mental health education.

If a center finds that you need counseling, it can also issue the referral used to apply for the counseling voucher described below. How many ongoing weekly sessions are available, and which programs run, varies by center. When you first call, you can simply ask, "I'd like counseling; how do I start?"

Finding your local center: the same in Seoul, Gyeonggi or Incheon #

1. On the National Mental Health Information Portal, open the location-based search under the mental health facilities menu.
2. Choose your province or metropolitan city (Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon and so on) and then your city, county or district.
3. Select Mental Health Welfare Center as the facility type to see the centers in that area, with addresses and contact details in the results.

Mental Health Welfare Centers are organized as regional centers at the province or metropolitan-city level and local centers at the city, county or district level, and it is the local centers that serve residents directly. For counseling, contact the local center where you live. The same search also finds other mental health services, such as suicide prevention centers.

The mental health counseling voucher (formerly the Mind Investment program) #

The former nationwide Mind Investment program has run as the mental health counseling voucher since 2026. It covers eight professional counseling sessions for people with emotional difficulties such as depression or anxiety, and according to the Ministry's 2026 notice it has no age or income threshold. Your share of the cost depends on income, and young adults leaving care, children in extended care and legally recognized single-parent families pay nothing.

To apply, you need supporting documents such as a referral issued by an institution like a Mental Health Welfare Center or a university counseling center, dated within three months of your application. Apply at the community service center for your registered or actual address, or online through Bokjiro (online applications are for adults 19 and older applying for themselves). Accepted documents and copayments can change each year, so check the Ministry of Health and Welfare notice.

If you work, study or are under 25 #

• Employees — staff at companies with fewer than 300 employees can register as individual members on the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service's worker welfare website and use its Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for up to seven free individual sessions a year, 50 minutes each, online or in person. If your employer runs its own EAP, look into that too.
• University students — ask your school's student counseling center about cost, the number of sessions and waiting times. Arrangements differ from school to school.
• Young people aged 9 to 24 — local Youth Counseling and Welfare Centers offer free counseling. Youth Counseling 1388 is open to young people and also to parents and guardians of young people.

If you have experienced violence, Sunflower Centers provide counseling, medical, legal and investigation support in one place. Crisis-support and integrated centers for survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence and sex trafficking are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year; child-focused centers for victims of sexual violence under 19 and people with intellectual disabilities open on weekday daytimes. A list of centers nationwide is on the Sunflower Center website.

Free 24-hour phone lines #

• Suicide prevention line 109 — open 24 hours a day, and every call is confidential. You can call when you feel like you want to die, and also when things simply feel too heavy to carry alone.
• Mental health crisis line 1577-0199 — one nationwide number for mental health counseling, information and directions to psychiatric services. At night and on public holidays, calls go to the regional Mental Health Welfare Center.
• Youth Counseling 1388 — free counseling for people aged 9 to 24 and their guardians, open 24 hours, every day. From a mobile phone, dial the area code before 1388.

If calling feels like too much, you can start in writing. The 109 line's social media counseling service, Madeullan, offers 24-hour text-based counseling with a professional, and young people can text 1388, message the Youth Counseling 1388 KakaoTalk channel or use the online counseling room on the Youth 1388 website.

Starting online or with an app for free #

Sorting out how you're doing before you contact a service can make the first conversation easier. Try our free self-checks, no login needed, to look at depression, anxiety and stress, and use our reflection tools to note what you want to talk about. For what to say at a first appointment, see preparing for your first counseling session.

If you need somewhere to talk at night, at weekends when centers are closed or while you wait for an appointment, you can try CareOps Maeumi. It is an AI counseling app that works with approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and it remembers past sessions so the next one continues from there. Sign-up, the intake questions, the initial check-in and the first session are free; pricing after that is shown in the app. Get the app

What to check when choosing free counseling #

Rather than choosing on the word free alone, ask a few questions when you first get in touch. For public services, you can double-check the name on a government website (go.kr) or your local government's notice.

• Who will counsel me? Ask about the counselor's qualification (which association or body issued it) and which organization runs the service.
• How is confidentiality handled? Check where your sessions are recorded and who can see them.
• Is it free all the way through? Ask in advance whether sessions lead to paid programs or product purchases later.
• Is another purpose mixed in? If you are encouraged to attend a religious gathering, join a group or introduce other people, take a step back.

If counseling doesn't feel like a good fit, it's fine to look elsewhere. If you start with a free service and want to continue longer, the counseling cost guide explains how to compare fees.

This guide shares mental wellness information. If you are in immediate danger, contact emergency services where you are. Support and contact information.