Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Men account for over 84% of 'lonely deaths'
An old man walks down a narrow alleyway in Seoul, in this 2022 file photo. More than 84 percent of people who die alone in Korea are men, according to a new report on “kodoksa,” or lonely deaths, which refers to a phenomenon of individuals dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period. Newsis
By Jung Min-ho
Experts say men are at higher risk of social isolation once they lose jobs
More than 84 percent of people who die alone in Korea are men, according to a new report on “kodoksa,” or “lonely deaths," which refers to a phenomenon of individuals dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period.
According to a report released Thursday by the Ministry of Health and Welfare after a six-month study on the subject, 3,661 people died alone at home in 2023, a slight increase from 3,559 the previous year.
Of those confirmed last year, 84.1 percent were men, compared with women accounting for 15.9 percent, the research found.
Speaking to The Korea Times, experts said this report suggests that men tend to experience deeper isolation from society than women once they lose their jobs.
“Many of the people found to have died alone did not have jobs. For many men, losing work means losing many other things attached to it, including personal relationships,” said Kim Eun-ha, director at a state-funded research center focused on preventing such deaths. “Also, compared with women living alone, men are at a greater risk of developing unhealthy habits such as skipping meals and drinking alcohol. This also explains the higher rate.”
That data underscores the importance of offering job opportunities for those who live alone, particularly men, said Cho Hong-young, a public relations director at the state-funded Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged.
“Many older men say (that) the best part of participating in our job programs is (having) a sense of belonging,” he said.
Older people, in general, are at a higher risk of facing such deaths. But the report shows that the most vulnerable people are those in their 60s and 50s, not those in their 70s and 80s.
Men and women in their 50s and 60s account for more than 61 percent of the total. Experts say the reason may lie in the fact that most welfare policies for older adults are aimed at people aged 65 or older, under the legal definition of a senior citizen. A service designed to check the whereabouts of those who are out of contact for a long period and an automatic emergency call service are among those policies.
“This could mean we have a service gap to fill for the middle-aged people,” Kim said.
Of the deaths last year, suicide accounted for 14.1 percent, compared with 13.9 percent the previous year.
The release of data comes as Korea is experiencing a dramatic demographic shift to a more individual and aged society, with an increase in the number of single-person households and its persistently low birthrate.
According to another set of data released on Wednesday by the ministry, 32.8 percent of older adults aged 65 and up live alone, a significant rise from 19.8 percent in 2020.
The country is estimated to become a super-aged society next year, meaning more than 20 percent of its population is 65 years or older. That figure is forecast to rise further to reach 50.6 percent in 2052.
In 2020, the National Assembly approved legislation for the prevention and management of lonely deaths. Following the move, the ministry announced that it would introduce tailored support measures to better protect high-risk groups in cooperation with local authorities.