Evidence for Mental Health Promotion and Prevention in Korea: A Narrative Review

This review critically evaluates internationally indexed evidence on mental health promotion and prevention interventions in Korea and examines whether the growing national infrastructure is underpinned by a scientific foundation that meets global standards.

A narrative review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to identify peer-reviewed quantitative studies published from database inception to August 8, 2025. Eligible studies evaluated programmatic or policy-level interventions explicitly designed to promote psychological well-being or prevent mental disorders among Koreans. Interventions were categorized according to the Institute of Medicine prevention framework and synthesized narratively.

A total of 135 studies were included. Research targeting adolescents was relatively sparse, with a marked lack of promotion-focused interventions. Although research activity increased sharply after 2020, the evidence base remains uneven in methodological rigor. Only 23.7% of studies employed randomized controlled designs. A structural disconnect was evident in the research pipeline, where pilot studies rarely progressed to full-scale efficacy trials. Furthermore, interventions delivered through core community mental health institutions were frequently bypassed in research, with recent studies shifting heavily toward digital and web-based platforms.

While research volume has expanded, the field lacks the methodological and structural maturity required to guide national policy effectively. Establishing a robust scientific foundation is a prerequisite for transforming current national endeavors into a system delivering genuine population-level benefits. Future initiatives must prioritize rigorous evidence generation to align Korea's mental health promotion and prevention strategies with global standards.