Different standards, incentives obscure stats on 'lonely deaths'

Social Affairs

Published: 24 Jan. 2024, 18:34

Different standards, incentives obscure stats on 'lonely deaths'

Pairs of shoes placed at a residence in a low-income neighborhood in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on May 18, 2023 [YONHAP]

Local governments in Korea have reported significantly fewer lonely deaths than the numbers disclosed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare over the past years.

The lower figures were attributed to the ambiguous definition of lonely deaths, or godoksa, in Korean,

According to the Act on the Prevention and Management of Lonely Deaths legislated in March 2020, lonely deaths are defined as the deaths of “socially isolated” people who have cut off contact with people, including families and relatives. Their bodies must also be found after a certain period of their death.

Localities claim that regular monitoring and contacting individuals who live alone to prevent lonely deaths are considered “social interactions,” which is why many cases are not tallied as lonely deaths.

In December, a man in his 50s was found dead alone in a multi-household residence in Galhyeon-dong, northern Seoul. Police and fire authorities discovered his body following a resident's report of a foul smell. He was suspected to have been found 4 to 5 days after his death. However, the death was not regarded as a lonely death since local authorities regularly contacted him once a month, as he was considered at risk of lonely death.

“Kim’s case is a typical case of lonely death of a socially isolated person who was found dead after around five days of his death,” Lee Bong-joo, a social welfare professor at Seoul National University, said.

Chung Soon-dool, a social welfare professor at Ewha Womans University, added that it is “questionable whether a social connection could have been formed through a phone call made once a month.”

In Seoul alone, over 500 deaths that would have been regarded as lonely deaths are classified as mere deaths every year.

According to the ministry’s data submitted to DP Rep. Ko Young-in’s office, the average annual number of lonely deaths from 2019 to 2021 counted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government amounted to 65.3, way lower than the Welfare Ministry’s 572.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare generally concludes all deaths as lonely deaths if the bodies are found after three days of their deaths.

The same trend appeared in Busan. The average annual number of lonely deaths tallied by the city government between 2019 and 2021 was 19.3, far less than the ministry’s 289. In 2021 alone, Busan tallied 14 lonely deaths in the port city, while the ministry counted 329 such deaths.

“The difference in the tallying method does not necessarily mean that we are overlooking those at risk [of lonely deaths],” an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.

A residence for the elderly in Cheongpa-dong, Yongsan District in central Seoul, where a 74-year-old resident categorized at risk of lonely death was found dead. The resident's death was not considered lonely as the body was found within three days of the death. [LEE AH-MI]

Local governments generally decide whether the deaths should be considered lonely deaths after comprehensively taking into account the information on the deceased, the autopsy results from the police and the status of their social interactions.

However, no set standards define a “social recluse.”

Even different district offices in the capital differ on whether cases like Kim, who was classified as a risk group and had been constantly monitored, should be regarded as lonely deaths. The Yongsan District Office in central Seoul did not see such cases as lonely deaths, while the Seongdong District Office in eastern Seoul said they should be considered lonely deaths.

The standards for social connections of the deceased are also ambiguous. Some claim that an individual needs to meet at least one person daily to be considered socially active, while others say it does not matter as long as they meet another person.

The tallying standards also differed by localities depending on when the bodies were found.

In Seoul and Busan, the bodies need to be found after three days of the deceased residents’ deaths to be seen as lonely deaths, while in Jeolla, the bodies need to be found after five days of the death.

For instance, the death of a 74-year-old resident, who was categorized into the risk group of lonely death and found dead alone at a gosiwon for the elderly in Cheongpa-dong, Yongsan District, was not designated a lonely death, as the body was found within three days of the death. Gosiwon are cheap studio apartments, usually for students.

Public officials in different localities also pointed out that the pressure on employees monitoring and managing those at risk of lonely death is escalating due to the surging number of older adults and single households.

“Some 1,000 residents are categorized as at-risk of lonely deaths in my jurisdiction, but there are only eight public officials assigned to care for them,” an official at Yongsan District Office said.

“Simply caring for them is overwhelming, and designating their deaths as lonely deaths will discourage officials.”

First Vice Minister of Health and Weflare Lee Ki-il announces the ministry's plan to prevent lonely deaths at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno District, central Seoul, on May 18, 2023. The government aims to reduce the number of lonely deaths nationwide by 20 percent by 2027. [YONHAP]

Experts say it is essential first to identify the reasons for such deaths to prevent them.

“We should initially approach by looking at why such deaths have occurred instead of identifying who should be responsible for the death,” Soongsil University social welfare professor Noh Hye-ryun said. “Specific details on each scenario should at least be known to draw up measures.”

Some also blamed the central government’s goal to reduce the number of lonely deaths by 20 percent until 2027.

“The number will decrease if the entire welfare system improves,” an official at Yeongdeungpo District Office in western Seoul said, adding that the government's goal will encourage public officials to fudge the numbers on lonely deaths.

Another official said there had been incidents where they did not categorize deaths as lonely as they had to report model cases of successfully preventing such deaths.

BY LEE CHAN-KYU, CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]