'Their neighbors also need to lend a hand'

On Sunday, a mother and two daughters were found dead in their home in Suwon, Gyeonggi. All three women were ill and struggling to make ends meet and had fallen behind on their monthly rent. For 16 months, they were unable to pay the 270,000 won ($200) for their national health insurance and were placed on a list to be investigated to find vulnerable households.

When a household is put on the list, they are considered to send a “danger sign” and local civil servants who are in charge of the welfare sector conduct an on-site inspection. However, in this case, although the civil servant went to the address, the officer could not help them. It was because where they were actually living was different to their registered address.

There is no record that the three asked for or received help from the local government or welfare agencies. Back in 2014, a mother in her 60s and two daughters in their 30s who were living in a semi-basement room located in Songpa District, southern Seoul, committed suicide after suffering from severe financial hardship. The incident revealed an issue with welfare blind spots, caused in the system where vulnerable people need to apply to receive benefits. This year, it happened again.

The government announced that it will inspect blind spots and revamp the overall support system. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said they will improve the existing system in order to actively conduct investigations to find households in crisis and notify welfare services in advance.

#need_to_know
“You need to find information by yourself. If you don’t know, you can’t get help.”
“The reason why we have a welfare system is to help the vulnerable. But in this country, benefits only go to those who have information.”

#everyone_should_pay_attention
“If someone paid a little more attention to them, the tragedy might not have happened.”
“Without a moving report, it is hard to provide help. Their neighbors also need to lend a hand to those who are in the blind spots.”

#strengthen_the_personnel
“Strengthen the personnel and find every single person who are in danger to make sure they get help.”
“To minimize welfare dead zones, we need more civil servants in charge of the welfare sector.”

BY HWANG JAE-YOUNG, BY HAN HYE-RIM [han.hyerim1@joongang.co.kr]