The Seoul administration has announced a large-scale program to prevent “lonely deaths” with a budget of 327 million USD over the next five years. The problem has become especially acute after statistics for 2023 showed that 3661 Koreans died completely alone, with their bodies discovered after a significant amount of time, snob.ru reports with reference to CNN.
The gender aspect of the problem is particularly alarming the overwhelming majority of cases (84%) are among the male population. City authorities have developed a comprehensive action plan, including the creation of specialized psychological support, the launch of a 24-hour hotline and an online platform for consultations.
The initiative also includes the creation of green recreation areas, the development of healthy nutrition programs for the elderly, and the introduction of a monitoring system for isolated citizens. In the future, it is planned to organize regular personal visits to lonely residents.
Experts, while positively assessing the measures taken, emphasize the need for a more in-depth approach to solving the problem, noting that the phenomenon of social isolation is closely linked to the peculiarities of the Korean mentality and the country's cultural traditions.