Father Starved to Death on Parents' Day, 22-Year-Old Son Blamed... Broken Promise [Youth Trapped in Caregiving]

②To Prevent Second and Third Cases of Caregiver Homicide
Support Law That Failed to Pass the National Assembly... Also Repealed in the Previous Assembly
"Reflect on Existing Welfare and Establish Support Law... Need a Two-Track Approach"

Editor's NoteThree years ago, the political slogans promising to swiftly enact support laws following the so-called 'caregiver murder' case?where a 22-year-old youth was driven to kill his father due to financial hardship and caregiving labor?ended up as empty words. Instead, local governments stepped in, naming young people caring for elderly or ill family members as 'family care youth' and pledging caregiving support policies. However, children who did not meet the age criteria for support were left in blind spots. Hoping that no more children will be deprived of care due to caregiving burdens, this [Youth Trapped in Caregiving] series diagnoses the caregiving labor of youth and contemplates the way forward.

Caregiver murder, filial impiety, ungrateful child... These were the labels that followed Dohyun, who was only 22 at the time of the incident. Dohyun, who was sentenced to four years in prison in March 2022 for neglecting his father who suffered a stroke until his death, was granted parole last July, nine months before completing his sentence. Although the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health and Welfare promised to enact "(caregiver murder prevention) support laws," no legislation for caregiving youth has been established even after three years.

The day Dohyun's father passed away was coincidentally Parents' Day. After collapsing from a cerebral hemorrhage on September 13, 2020, his father was unable to move or perform daily activities alone. Hospital bills amounted to tens of millions of won?an amount Dohyun, a university student, had never handled before. On top of that, rent, utilities, and communication bills piled up. Exhausted from hunger, Dohyun once pleaded with his uncle, "Please give me 20,000 won to buy rice."

A fictional image created with ChatGPT

Feeding liquid nutrition through a nasal tube, cleaning urine and feces, repositioning every two hours to prevent bedsores, massaging paralyzed limbs... Dohyun devoted all his time outside of part-time work to caring for his father. On May 8, 2021, after giving up caregiving, Dohyun returned to the room a week later to find his father no longer breathing.

Jeon Soon-ok, former Democratic Party lawmaker and director of the Jeon Tae-il Foundation, told reporters that Dohyun was filled with guilt toward his father. "Dohyun said he felt like a sinner to his father. He also hoped that no one else would make the same choice he did in the past."

The Jeon Tae-il Foundation selected Dohyun as its first scholarship recipient, supporting his living expenses and helping him rebuild his life.

"Support laws alone are insufficient... Existing welfare must be reviewed to strengthen the social safety net"

Director Jeon emphasizes that to prevent the emergence of second and third Dohyuns, caregiving youth support laws must be enacted as soon as possible. He said, "When children, adolescents, or youth are responsible for caregiving, it becomes difficult to continue their studies or secure proper employment, making it hard to build a social foundation. If this impact extends into middle and old age, poverty is likely to perpetuate. Society has a responsibility to protect these young people."

Heo Min-sook, legislative researcher of the Health, Welfare, and Women’s Team at the National Assembly Legislative Research Office, pointed out that due to Korea’s welfare system being based on an application principle, there are limitations in identifying blind spots with the existing system. He questioned, "If a caregiver becomes elderly or suffers from a severe illness, causing a child to take on caregiving, can that child personally visit government offices to obtain documents and apply for welfare?" He advised, "To fill gaps in the social safety net, separate legal grounds must be established to discover vulnerable groups with limited access to welfare resources and support their independence."

However, related bills remain pending in the National Assembly. In the 22nd National Assembly, Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Young-seok proposed the 'Family Care Children, Adolescents, and Youth Support Act,' and Justice Innovation Party lawmaker Jeong Chun-saeng proposed the 'Care Children, Adolescents, and Youth Support Act,' but neither has passed the parliamentary hurdle. In the previous 21st National Assembly, three bills concerning family care children, adolescents, and youth were introduced by lawmakers So Byung-chul, Kang Min-jung, and Seo Young-seok, but all expired with the end of the term.

Some experts argue that a 'two-track strategy' is necessary: creating caregiving youth support laws while simultaneously reviewing the existing social welfare system. They contend that focus should not be solely on introducing new legislation but also on identifying shortcomings in the current welfare system to complete support laws that provide additional necessary assistance.

Dr. Kim, a caregiving expert who requested anonymity, said, "It is positive that politicians show interest in caregiving youth support laws, but their strong desire to achieve results through new legislation tends to turn fundamental discussions about caregiving issues into mere issue-driven consumption aimed at gaining attention."

Dr. Kim also emphasized, "System improvement is important, but diagnosing the reality comes first." He noted that existing laws such as the Framework Act on Healthy Families, which clarifies the state's and local governments' obligation to alleviate the caregiving burden for families with members requiring care due to illness or disability, and the Child Welfare Act, which mandates protection for children whose caregivers cannot raise them, already specify support obligations for caregiving youth. The Basic Livelihood Security System for low-income groups and the Long-Term Care Insurance System for elderly needing assistance due to illness are similar examples.

He said, "Various surveys on caregiving youth show that they most need living expense support. Income security systems for impoverished households, such as the Basic Livelihood Security System and Emergency Welfare Support, are already in place, so the discussion should first focus on why these individuals still require living expenses. Without diagnosing the shortcomings of the existing welfare system, new legislation will struggle to be effective." According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs' report 'Current Status and Policy Tasks of Caregiving Youth,' 75.6% of respondents who are caregiving youth answered that they need living expense support for themselves and their families.

*Pseudonyms are used in this article to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

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