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In a city where 366 people died a lonely death in the past year

The number of deaths in Seoul involving people without family or friends has risen steadily from 285 in 2013 to 366 in 2017. Sixty-two percent of the victims of “lonely deaths” – dying unexpectedly while living alone – were males aged 45 to 65. In a city where 2.05 million households consist of one or two people – accounting for 54% of all households – lonely deaths are an issue with far-reaching impact. On Mar. 20, the city of Seoul announced comprehensive measures to prevent such deaths.

The best way to prevent lonely deaths is by forming social connections. In Nov. 2017, a senior citizen suffering from dementia passed away in a flophouse in the Gasan neighborhood of Seoul’s Geumcheon district. The body was found the next day by a neighbor who frequently visited senior citizen households on “neighborly checkups.” Had it not been for the neighbor, the death of that senior – who had no known relatives – might have gone unnoticed for several days.

Last year, the city of Seoul conducted a pilot study with neighborly checkups. Longtime residents, neighborhood association presidents, and resident association members participated in the effort, which was carried out in the Gasan neighborhood (home to numerous flophouses) as well as small gosiwon apartments in the Daehak neighborhood of Gwanak district and the permanent rental housing complexes of the Hagye-1 neighborhood in Nowon district.

This year, 26 regions in 17 districts have been selected for support in organizing and providing people to perform the neighborly checkups. The aim is to have the resident associations serve as a local safety net against lonely deaths.

Single-person households deemed to be at risk for lonely death are also to be made eligible for up to three subsidies of 900,000 won (US$840) as part of a “Seoul model” of emergency welfare funds. The plan is also to include medical support through visiting neighborhood resident center welfare counselors, including psychological health screening and management of chronic ailments. Thirty-nine percent of lonely deaths are associated with diseases such as alcoholism, depression, cirrhosis, and diabetes.

In the past, those who died and were deemed to have no relations had to be immediately cremated without a funeral. Civic groups have called for “social funerals” for people without family, basic livelihood security recipients, and low-income residents to allow all people dignity even in death. On Mar. 22, the city plans to enact and proclaim a Seoul city public funeral ordinance expanding eligibility for public funeral support and implement a “village funeral” pilot effort for local communities to join in mourning.

By Nam Eun-ju, staff reporter

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