Increased Suicide Rate Among Residents of 'Yeonggu Rental Housing'

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Report on Permanent Rental Housing Residents
35 Suicides Last Year... 30% Increase
"Comprehensive Measures Needed for Socialization Activities"

In November last year, a man in his 70s, Mr. A, was found dead in a public rental housing unit in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. The body was significantly decomposed, and the time of death was confirmed to be about 10 days prior. Mr. A was a basic livelihood security recipient and was a single-person monitoring target of the local community center.

However, since he rarely interacted with nearby residents and spent most of his time alone at home, it is known that he did not receive adequate physical or mental support. At the time of discovery, expired yogurt and a city gas bill that had been sent over two weeks earlier were found in front of Mr. A's residence.

Although the government is striving to improve housing environments for socially marginalized groups by expanding permanent rental housing, the rate of suicide among these individuals remains high. Experts point out that beyond simply providing housing, comprehensive measures are needed to fully integrate marginalized groups as members of society.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's report titled "Support Directions for Preventing Social Isolation and Suicide among Permanent Rental Housing Residents," 35 people committed suicide in permanent rental housing in 2022, an increase of about 30% compared to the previous year (27 people). The number of suicides in permanent rental housing had temporarily decreased from 45 cases in 2019 to 29 in 2020 and 27 in 2021, but rose again to 35 cases last year.

This figure exceeds the national average suicide rate. In 2022, there were approximately 21,000 permanent rental housing units. Assuming all are single-person households, the suicide rate among permanent rental housing residents is up to 32.5 per 100,000 people. Considering that the national suicide rate in 2022 was 25.5 per 100,000 people, this is about 30% higher.

Permanent rental housing is a type of public rental housing with a lease period of 50 years or more, or permanent public rental housing. Compared to other public rental housing such as 50-year rental housing or national rental housing, it has a longer lease period and lower deposit, so it is mainly occupied by basic livelihood security recipients and lower-income groups. The government increased the number of permanent rental housing units by about 3.8%, from 207,000 units in 2018 to 215,000 units in 2022, to improve the quality of life for low-income households. However, during the same period, the suicide rate remained similar or even increased.

Experts emphasize that beyond simple housing support, complex support measures should be established to encourage social participation among marginalized groups. This is because low-income individuals are likely to be socially isolated and withdrawn for long periods, making it difficult to alleviate feelings of depression and anxiety even if a stable housing environment is provided.

Professor Jeon Yong-ho of the Department of Social Welfare at Incheon National University identified the "activation of social welfare centers" within permanent rental housing complexes as an important task. For permanent rental housing established before 2017, social welfare centers are mandated to be installed within the complexes according to the Housing Act. However, many are operated by local governments on consignment, and most welfare centers suffer from budget and staffing shortages.

Professor Jeon said, "Most permanent rental housing complexes have social welfare centers, but compared to the number of households, the staff and budget are insufficient, so they often fail to function properly. This problem is especially severe in local areas with low financial independence, so supporting these centers to perform their roles is important."

Professor Seok Jae-eun of Hallym University’s Department of Social Welfare suggested "increasing the number of housing welfare workers." Housing welfare workers are professionals deployed by the government in 2019 to address solitary deaths and depression among vulnerable groups in permanent rental housing.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has deployed these workers to 111 complexes by this year, but since the criteria are limited to large complexes owned by LH with 500 or more units, blind spots still exist. Professor Seok explained, "Many permanent rental housing residents refuse welfare services. In such cases, specialized personnel who can provide close care nearby are needed, and increasing housing welfare workers can be a good solution."

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