[Anchor]
As solitary deaths of people passing away alone increase each year, the government established a response system this year. The system collects information on utility bill arrears and other data to identify high-risk groups for solitary death in advance. The initial analysis revealed new findings that differ from previously known facts.
Reporter Park Ha-jeong has the story.
[Reporter]
Choo Kyoung-jin, 58, acquired a physical disability due to a traffic accident.
Everyday routines, such as getting up from bed and preparing to go out, cannot be done without the help of others.
He says that he sometimes vividly pictures scenarios where he suddenly passes away.
[Choo Kyoung-jin : (When running a fever) Because I cannot use my hands, I couldn't even lower the blanket and had to wait until my activity support worker arrived. I thought, 'Could I really die like this?']
Solitary deaths have increased every year, approaching nearly 4,000 in 2024. In response, the government launched a solitary death crisis response system in February of last year.
The system collects 27 types of information, such as electricity bill or health insurance premium arrears and reasons for emergency room visits, to assess whether individuals are in a state of social isolation and proactively identify those at high risk of solitary death.
As a result, as of July of last year, the nationwide number of high-risk individuals for solitary death was tallied at 43,858.
About 33,000, or 76%, were people with disabilities, and 93% of those with disabilities had physical disabilities.
By type of economic activity, the unemployed accounted for about 70%, showing a wide gap compared to the second-largest high-risk group, temporary and daily workers.
This is the first time the socioeconomic characteristics of the high-risk group for solitary death have been disclosed.
Previously, surveys focused on age and gender rather than disability or employment status, leading to the belief that middle-aged men in their 50s and 60s were most vulnerable to solitary death.
[Seo Mi-hwa / Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker (Health and Welfare Committee) : The government also needs to ponder policy issues regarding what kind of services it will provide to people in these solitary death high-risk groups. Especially whether to provide customized services for elderly people with physical disabilities....]
The Ministry of Health and Welfare is considering drawing up measures to prevent social isolation even for people already within the existing social welfare network, such as those with disabilities.
(Photo courtesy of Yonhap News)
Reported by Choi Ho-jun and Kim Yong-woo | Video by Kim Ho-jin | Graphics by Lee Ga-jin
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