Old people live in poverty and die alone in Korea

Poor elderly Koreans live alone and die without anyone knowing

Good Nanum volunteers prepared a free funeral for Mr. Seol because there was no family member to claim the body.

`To be honest, people who live alone will probably be happier when they die. When they leave this life, I want them to know that they are not alone, there are people who still worry about them,` Park Jin-

No one knows when he dies

According to Mr. Park, `a funeral is the last wish of the dead`, people who live austere and lonely lives like Mr. Seol, who carefully writes down his phone number in a notebook so that at least when he passes away.

Nearly half of South Korea’s population over the age of 65 lives in poverty, and nearly two-thirds die without family members to see them off.

Korean monks chant sutras during a free funeral in Seoul.

Non-governmental organizations, churches, and community volunteer groups have replaced the role of family members to fill this gap.

Good Nanum only operates in Seoul.

`Living is difficult, but now dying is also a problem,` Mr. Park commented.

The suicide rate is shamefully high

Living in poverty and loneliness, it is not surprising that most elderly people suffer from depression.

`Many problems arise when they live alone. They do not eat enough nutrition and suffer loneliness for long periods of time. Therefore, they commit suicide to avoid being a burden,` Yang Seoung-Jo, president

To prevent this situation, the organization Suicide Watch was established.

`In this way, we make them feel less lonely. When living alone for a while, people will begin to wonder why we are in this world. Once these thoughts appear, we can

Working to death – the tragedy of the elderly in Korea:

The tragedy of the elderly in Korea

More than anyone else, he understands this feeling because he also lives alone in a boarding house because he doesn’t want to bother his 5 children.

To overcome the problem of lonely elderly people, Gyeonggi Province piloted the Carnation House program, a community center for the elderly, in 2013. Here, lonely elderly people can cook, eat, sleep and

Peeling garlic, an income-generating job for elderly people living alone in community centers in Korea.

This is an effective solution for people with poor health but still want to be independent like 82-year-old Oh Geum Yong.

`If I go to a nursing home, it will be a burden for my children because the cost there is very expensive. I will lose my freedom and cannot live the way I want,` she said.

Many other provinces have followed the example of Gyeonggi province, and there are currently more than 120 similar community houses opened in Korea.

Waiting in long lines in the cold wind for free meals

In addition to providing connections, volunteer groups also open charity kitchens across the country, providing free meals to lonely elderly people.

The National Volunteer Association operates 26 charity kitchens.

Charity rice kitchen for poor elderly people in Korea

Some people travel more than two hours a day to get food and have friends to talk to.

Only people aged 70 and over will receive free food.

However, it is not always easy to communicate with them.

`The elderly have been alone for so long that they are not good at expressing themselves,` Lee said.

`If you don’t have a sense of responsibility about volunteering, this is not easy to do. We work more hours than normal workers, but we always keep in mind that we must be willing to serve them.`

Many elderly people come here not only because of free meals but also because of loneliness and wanting someone to eat with them.

Like Angel’s Kitchen, some churches in Seoul also try to support lonely elderly people.

Director Lee said she is happy every time an elderly person thanks a volunteer.

`They lived difficult and lonely lives. All they said was ‘thank you’ when they left,` Lee said.

Hong Hanh