In super-aged Korea, social isolation leaves seniors searching for connection

Tucked away near the rear entrance of Seoul Station is a building bustling with older adults coming and going. Inside, dozens of white-haired visitors fill the space, some drinking cheap coffee while others watch television.

Farther inside, two barbers cut the hair of older visitors. A narrow staircase leads down to a basement, where a small PC cafe with a row of computers and tables for "baduk" (go) and "janggi" (Korean chess) is located. Nearly every seat is occupied by an older person.

“The door is always open and we don’t ask them to do anything, including pray,” said Woo Yeon-shik, a pastor who runs the center, Dream City, which also doubles as a church.

Operating near Seoul Station since 2011, Dream City draws more than 300 older people each day from across the capital. For Woo, the space increasingly serves a purpose that goes beyond its original mission of helping homeless people: giving older people somewhere to go and someone to be around.

That role has become more urgent as Korea, one of the world’s fastest-aging societies, grapples with high suicide rates and social isolation among its older population.

“Korea’s reported suicide rate is around 29.1 per 100,000 people. For those aged 65 and older, it is 40.6. For men over 80, it is three times the overall average,” Woo said. “Across society, the problems facing older people are widespread and serious.”

Loneliness among older people

Korea has long struggled with the well-being of its older population, recording one of the highest suicide rates among older people among OECD nations for years.

Other indicators point to a broader problem of social isolation, including deaths that go unnoticed and a growing number of people whose remains are not claimed by family members.

Cases of “godoksa,” or lonely deaths, in which socially isolated people die and their bodies remain undiscovered for some time, continue to rise. According to a Ministry of Health and Welfare report released in 2024, the number reached a record high in 2023, with people in their 50s and 60s accounting for 61.8 percent of cases.

The number of unclaimed deaths has also risen sharply. The category includes people with no known family members as well as those whose relatives refuse or fail to claim their remains.

In 2025, people aged 65 and older accounted for 60.1 percent of such cases, or 4,310 people. The number was about 133 percent higher than in 2021, according to health ministry data submitted to Rep. Chang Jong-tae of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Signs of isolation can also be seen at Tapgol Park in central Seoul, long known as a gathering place for older Koreans.

On a recent afternoon, visitors were scattered across benches throughout the park, but relatively few were speaking to one another. Only a handful could be seen chatting. Most sat alone, gazing into the distance.

“There’s no such thing as friends here. It’s just you and me,” said a man in his 90s. “We should get along, but the only thing people do together is line up for food.”

Another man said he regularly came to the park simply to sit for a while without speaking to anyone, an answer echoed by several others.

Survey findings reflect that sense of loneliness. In a survey released this year by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, 43.5 percent of older respondents said they felt lonely. A separate study by the health ministry found that loneliness was more pronounced among older people living alone.

A place to connect

For Woo, social isolation among older people has become a more pressing concern than the homelessness Dream City was originally established to address.

The center drew media attention earlier this year after announcing that soaring rent would force it to leave Seoul Station and relocate outside the capital. But Woo explained that the focus on the closure as the loss of one of Seoul’s few homeless shelters did not fully reflect what Dream City had evolved into.

“The homeless population has shrunk. Across society, the problems facing older people are far more widespread and severe,” he said, noting that supporting older people had been a major part of Dream City’s work even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

His approach to bridging the distance between older people is to bring them together in a shared space and let a community form naturally.

“When we think back to our school days, we didn’t become friends because the teacher told us to. We became friends simply by spending time together in the same classroom,” he said.

“People here strike up conversations while playing baduk or janggi or asking for help using a computer.”

Dream City has sought to give people reasons to leave their rooms and spend time around others without imposing formal programs or expectations. Along with a place to sit around the clock, it offers hot water and electricity as well as free haircuts, legal assistance, help in writing resumes and medical services.

“Being alone puts them under psychological strain, which eventually takes a toll on their physical health as well,” the pastor said.

Now, he plans to take that approach to Wonmi-dong in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, where he hopes to reach older residents who are more economically isolated and less able to travel.

When The Korea Times visited his second-floor office on Oct. 22, much of the building had already been emptied, with volunteers loading belongings onto a truck ahead of the move. The church was preparing to hold its final service Wednesday before vacating the building the following day.

Financial pressure is one reason for the relocation. Woo said the building’s monthly rent, once 5.8 million won ($4,060), had risen to between 12 and 13 million won. But he said the move also reflects a change in whom he hopes to reach.

“People who come here are relatively well off. There are others who can’t afford to get out. We want to reach them, even if only within the local community,” he said.

Such neighborhood-level connections can be particularly important for older people living alone, experts say.

“Studies show that living alone with no one to talk to can adversely affect older people’s health and cognitive function. Interacting with others can help mitigate those effects,” said Kim Sue-lynn, a researcher at the Korea Rural Economic Institute specializing in older people’s health and welfare.

The benefits extend beyond companionship as regular interaction can also create an informal safety net.

“There are preventive benefits as well. Regular conversations can help people notice early signs of illness or recognize when someone needs help. In rural areas, senior community centers serve that role by providing places for people to interact and support one another emotionally. Government support services also help fulfill that role,” Kim said.