Every year, thousands of South Koreans die alone, and their bodies are found days and weeks after their deaths. Therefore, over the next five years, Seoul will allocate about $327 million to fight loneliness.
This was reported by CNN.
“Lonely deaths” are common throughout Korea. The problem has become so severe that the authorities have decided to take action: a hotline and an online consultation platform will be launched for lonely people.
In the future, personal visits to single people will be introduced. In addition, Seoul will organize psychological sessions and green areas, meal plans for pensioners, and introduce a special system for finding isolated Koreans. The main goal is to encourage people to go out and socialize with others, for example, to play sports or gardening or to go to book clubs.
Experts welcomed the government’s plan but said more needs to be done, and the strategy’s effectiveness in combating loneliness needs to be monitored.
Loneliness has grown over the past decade and is considered a feature of Korean culture. More and more young people are withdrawing from the world and staying at home in isolation for months at a time. According to one estimate, in 2022, there were up to 244 thousand such hermits in South Korea.
In 2023, 3,661 South Koreans died alone. The vast majority of them were men – more than 84%.