Mental health messages and QR codes added to 'Cham Cracker' packaging, on sale this month, as youth suicide remains the No. 1 cause of teen deaths for the 13th consecutive year
The Life Insurance Social Contribution Foundation has teamed up with Crown Confectionery to launch a youth suicide prevention campaign called "You Are So Precious."
The foundation announced Wednesday that it will bring mental health messages into young people's daily lives through a partnership with Crown Confectionery's long-selling "Cham Cracker" snack. Products bearing the new name and packaging will roll out to stores nationwide starting this month.
The campaign is driven by alarming statistics. According to the Ministry of Statistics on Tuesday, the number of youth suicide deaths rose from 273 in 2016 to 396 in 2025 — approaching 400 and representing a 45 percent increase over a decade. The suicide rate among young people stands at 7.9 per 100,000, more than double the OECD average.
The foundation and Crown Confectionery jointly developed the campaign to build a nationwide offline presence where young people can naturally encounter mental health messages in their daily lives.
The Cham Cracker packaging features "Ppaemi," the foundation's mascot character, along with mental health check-in messages and a QR code linking to a counseling channel. The packaging incorporates emotions that teenagers commonly experience, with phrases such as "Sometimes I feel like something is wrong with only me" and "I want to talk, but I don't know how." Scanning the QR code connects users directly to "Dadeureojulgae," the foundation's social media-based counseling system.
"Dadeureojulgae" is a social media counseling platform that the foundation and the Ministry of Education have jointly operated since 2018, offering anonymous consultations via KakaoTalk, a dedicated app and SMS. Last year, 40,837 young people used the service, bringing the cumulative total to 401,886.
The foundation said it plans to keep expanding the campaign model — combining everyday consumer products with life-affirming messages — building on this collaboration.
"We hope that a familiar snack can become a reason for a young person struggling with their mental health to reach out," foundation Chairman Lee Jang-woo said. "We will strengthen life-respect campaigns tailored to young people's perspectives in a variety of ways."
If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline 1393, available 24/7. Please request a translator for English-language services.
psj@heraldcorp.com
