Three Generations of a Damyang Family Choose Extreme Measures... '3-Generation Tragedy' Caused by Caregiving Despair

Father in 40s, Son, and Mother Found Dead Amid Struggles Caring for Disabled Child and Elderly Mother

Last Year in Gwangju, Mother Who Cared for 25 Years and Disabled Son Took Their Own Lives

Economic Hardships Worsened by Prolonged COVID-19

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and increasing economic hardships leading to tragic incidents, a head of household who felt overwhelmed by caring for a mother suffering from depression and a disabled child made an extreme choice together with his family, causing widespread sorrow.

There are calls to abolish the support obligation criteria and for active public intervention, emphasizing the need for social attention and institutional support for families struggling to care for disabled members or elderly parents who cannot move independently.

According to Damyang Police on the 15th, at around 7 a.m. the previous day, three family members?A (48), his son B (13), and A’s mother C (80)?were found dead in a parking lot of a business in Changpyeong-myeon, Damyang-gun.

A’s mother and elementary school-aged son were found dead inside a car, while A was found deceased hanging from a tree near the parking lot.

A had sent a text message to his sister a few hours before the incident, implying an extreme choice. His family reported this to the police, who then conducted a search including tracking his phone location.

The message left by A reportedly included content such as, “It is too difficult as I have developed depression while caring for a disabled child,” indicating that as a parent of a disabled child, he could no longer care for him and intended to make an extreme choice together.

It also reportedly contained expressions of apology and gratitude to the remaining family members, along with the difficult decision to make an extreme choice after struggling with the responsibility of supporting his mother as the only remaining son.

The police believe that A, who lived in the Incheon area, visited his mother’s house alone in Buk-gu, Gwangju, with his son on the 13th.

The police are investigating the specific circumstances of the case and plan to conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, as there were no clear external injuries.

Previously, in June last year, a mother who had cared for her son B (25), who had developmental disabilities, for 25 years in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, also made an extreme choice together with her developmentally disabled son.

Recently, as the COVID-19 situation has prolonged, extreme choices due to economic difficulties appear to be increasing.

There are 7,834 people with developmental disabilities in the Gwangju area, of whom 843 have autism symptoms, and 6,991 suffer from intellectual disabilities. Notably, about 700 of those with autism symptoms have challenging behavioral disorders.

As they become adults, their physical size and abilities improve, making parenting and education increasingly difficult for their parents.

Experts point out that to prevent a series of deaths caused by caregiving issues, it is necessary to abolish the support obligation criteria, which has been identified as a major cause of welfare blind spots, relax the eligibility criteria for the Basic Livelihood Security Program, and have active public intervention.

They also agree that when caregiving leads to economic hardship, it places individuals in mentally precarious situations, so providing income security along with mental health-related welfare services is a way to prevent extreme choices.

Professor Lee Jung-seo of the Department of Social Welfare at Chosun University of Science and Technology said, “Even if people in difficult situations are identified, if they have some income, they cannot receive welfare benefits. The support obligation criteria, which prevent parents or children with income or assets above a certain level from receiving livelihood or medical benefits, should be abolished. The strict standards should be flexibly adjusted, including expanding the scope of recognized residential property.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.