The Repeated Tragedy at the End of Disease and Hardship... Filling the Gaps in the Welfare Blind Spots

Unable to Receive Basic Livelihood Benefits Amid Severe Economic Hardship
Welfare Gaps Persist Despite Consecutive Family Tragedies Including 'Bangbae-dong Mother and Child'
President Yoon: "We Will Pay Special Attention to Citizens in Difficulty"

On the morning of the 23rd, police tape in the shape of an X was placed on the front door of a first-floor house in a multi-family dwelling in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, where the three mothers and daughters who were found dead two days ago in Suwon lived.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Another tragedy has occurred in the welfare blind spots. A family struggling with illness and financial hardship made an extreme choice. Despite experiencing several tragedies such as the 'Songpa Three Mothers' case in 2014 and the 'Bangbae-dong Mother and Son' case in 2020, our society has still not properly established a system to identify and support those in welfare blind spots.

According to Suwon City and Hwaseong City on the 24th, around 2:50 p.m. on the 21st, three mothers and daughters were found dead in a multi-family house in Suwon City. The bodies were so decomposed that identification was difficult. It is presumed that they all suffered from severe financial hardship. The mother in her 60s was undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and her two daughters in their 40s were also suffering from rare incurable diseases. Due to the heavy burden of medical expenses, they could not even pay the monthly rent of about 400,000 won on time.

The three mothers and daughters had not paid health insurance premiums since March last year, but the community center was unable to locate their residence. The community center in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, confirmed the long-term non-payment of health insurance premiums and sent a delinquency notice last month to the registered address. However, since the family had already moved to Suwon without reporting the change of residence, the notice was not received. The government operates a social security information system that identifies households in crisis when utility bills such as electricity and gas are overdue for a certain period, but due to difficulty in locating the family’s residence, welfare services could not be provided. Although the family was experiencing extreme financial difficulties, they had never applied for or consulted about welfare services such as basic living subsidies from local governments.

As a result, there are criticisms that such tragedies continue to occur because the social safety net is not tightly established. Our society has experienced several tragedies of families dying after illness and financial hardship. In 2014, in Songpa-gu, Seoul, three mothers and daughters made an extreme choice after severe financial difficulties. The mother in her 60s was unemployed, and the daughter in her 30s was undergoing treatment, making it difficult to maintain their livelihood. They left their last 700,000 won in an envelope with a note saying, "This is the last rent and utility bills. Sorry," before passing away.

Also, in 2020, in a multi-family house in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, a woman in her 60s living with her developmentally disabled son was found dead five months after her death. The son in his 30s stayed by his mother’s side for a while after her death but eventually became homeless. This mother and son had also long overdue utility bills but were excluded from the social security information system notification because they were already receiving housing benefits. Focusing on identifying "people who can receive public support but do not" led to such gaps being discovered.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is answering reporters' questions as he arrives at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the morning of the 23rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, President Yoon Suk-yeol stated that drastic measures are needed in places where the welfare information system does not function. On the morning of the 23rd, during a Q&A session on his way to work at the Yongsan Presidential Office building, President Yoon emphasized, "I have pursued welfare for the vulnerable rather than political welfare, which is the foundation of freedom and solidarity," and added, "I have told the people that I will find those vulnerable who cannot raise their voices in unison and consider their difficult lives."

President Yoon continued, "The central government will create a system to find and take care of these people well and cooperate with local governments to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. As president, I will pay special attention to the difficulties of the people."

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