"Lonely deaths" have made headlines one after another of late, emerging as a new social problem our aging society has to tackle before it is too late.
Lonely death usually refers to a phenomenon of people, mostly aged over 60, dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period of time.
As is well known, South Korea is a rapidly aging country with 6.5 million elderly citizens over 65, accounting for 13.2 percent of the population as of the end of 2015.
Eight years from now, in 2025, the number of elderly people is expected to exceed 10 million, together with a sharp increase in the number of one-person households, both of which are partly responsible for the unfortunate and miserable deaths.
Adding insult to injury, the phenomenon, which was first described in Japan in the early 1980s, has become a worsening social issue because the age of the victims is falling ― even as low as the early 40s.
Five days ago in Busan, a 45-year-old man, who had been living alone in the southern port city, was found dead almost in a state of mummification. Police presumed the man died alone nine months ago. His younger sister, who had no contact with him for nearly a year, happened to visit his home and found him dead.
He is one of 20 people to have died a lonely death over the past two months in Busan alone. Across the country, police "presume" about 1,700 met their fate by themselves in their empty homes. The problem is the government does not track cases of lonely deaths.
The phenomenon clearly testifies to today's heartless neighborhoods, with the only reason for the discovery of the body of a neighbor living next door being the smell of decomposition, and to the looser family bonds playing a role in the isolation of the lonely.
In a country where 5.2 million people live alone, the number of decaying bodies found in empty homes is expected to soar.
The Busan case should become a good occasion for the government to tackle this issue in cooperation with social security and welfare organizations by taking a lesson from Japan, which is effectively solving the problem through public-private cooperation.
foolsdie@koreatimes.co.kr