About 1,008 South Koreans Die Alone In 2014 As The Traditional Confucian Family Structure Crumbles Amidst Country's Ecnomic Growth
In the highly-developed South Korea, the opposite of the luxurious urban lifestyle depicted in the hit song "Gangnam Style" is the reality for many of elderly people who have been left by the times. 20 percent of the 1.2 million senior population in South Korea live and die alone, Reuters reported.
The New York Times reported Nov. 1, an increasing number of South Koreans are dying alone, having no relatives coming forward to claim their remains and organize a ritual for the departed due to the expensive cost of funeral services.
The incidence of the so-called "lonely deaths" spiked from 682 in 2011 to 1,008 in 2004.
"Those falling behind get increasingly lonely because, unlike the poor of the old days, they see their communities destroyed for urban redevelopment," Reverend Kim Keun Ho told the New York Times.
A family's social status in South Korea is displayed during the funeral of a member of the family, measured by the number of guests that pay respect to the dead and how for how long they stay.
For poor South Koreans, retrieving a relative's body is not practical, much less putting up a costly funeral.
The country's once revered Confucian tradition is slowly fading as South Korea grows economically. Under the Confucian belief, parents spend all their money to support their children, and in return they rely on their children for support once they reach old age. The bleak image in South Korean society now shows older Koreans living alone with depleted savings and no children capable or willing to support them.
South Korea is one of the fastest ageing among all industrial countries. However, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's annual report showed that social support was lowerst among South Koreans aged 50 and onwards.
The South Korean government tries to help the country's elderly, but resources are limited, Reuters noted Jan. 21, 2013.
A law caring for the welfare of the elderly was passed in 1981. In 2007, the government launched services that would send caretakers to homes of elderly people who are living alone.
Times reported Dec. 3, 2014, charity organizations such as Good Nanum (or Good Sharing) also pitches in a helping hand by holding funerals who people who died alone without known family members claiming their remains.
86-year-old Ham Hak Joon lives alone in Seoul and has not spoken to his children in more than 15 years.
Ham said he once thought of donating his body for science research. "At least that way I could be sure that someone would come collect me when I go," Ham added.
Thankfully for Ham Hak Joon and other senior citizens who have reached out to civic groups such as Good Nanum, they no longer have worries.
Good Nanum director Park Jin Ok said, "Elderly people who live alone wonder what will happen to their bodies. We promise that we'll find them."
"I know I won't be all alone after I die," Ham told Time. "That makes me live a bit easier."
