Seoul City to Prevent 'Songpa Mother and Daughter' Tragedy... Launching Outreach 'K Welfare' Program

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to make this year the inaugural year of K-Welfare and to proactively identify targets to minimize the occurrence of blind spots. Marking the 10th anniversary of the 'Songpa Three Women Incident,' where a mother and her two daughters living in a semi-basement house took their lives in 2014 due to financial hardship, the city aims to create a more meticulous care system.

On the 25th, Seoul announced plans to establish a care system for the vulnerable, which is expanding due to deepening polarization and social diversification, to complete a 'K-Welfare Model' without blind spots.

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First, to minimize the occurrence of welfare blind spots, the method of identifying targets has been improved. This year, monitoring, which was previously conducted on 110,000 households, will be significantly expanded to cover 230,000 households, including vulnerable individuals newly placed in blind spots due to social changes, such as single-person households at high risk of solitary death.

Identifying households in crisis is done by welfare planners at local community centers who regularly or occasionally check the situation and eligibility of vulnerable groups in the area through phone calls or visits. Last year, Seoul identified and supported about 40,000 households in crisis through on-site visits to 260,000 households.

The management method will also be strengthened. The data used to detect crisis signs among vulnerable groups, which previously included 39 types such as overdue electricity bills, communication fees, and national pension arrears, will be expanded to 44 types by adding data such as overdue water and gas bills. This will enable more detailed monitoring and prompt, active identification of those in need of assistance.

Additionally, a care team composed of local residents and honorary public officials will call or visit target households once a week to check on their well-being and conduct regular neighborhood patrols. From this year, the support targets will also include family caregivers such as young caregivers (young carers) who care for sick family members and families caring for persons with disabilities, to prevent the entire family from falling into hardship. Notably, support for young family caregivers who cannot prepare for their own future due to family caregiving was directly proposed by Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

While expanding care targets and conducting meticulous monitoring, timely and necessary care will be provided to individuals. The key is to provide selective care rather than broad and universal care. For 'households at risk of solitary death,' a smart well-being check service using AI systems and periodic monitoring by the local care team will be provided.

Furthermore, through 'Safe Income Support,' the city plans to accelerate self-reliance by reviewing ways to link existing social services with safe income. Proactive care services will be provided to safe income recipients, and for those among care recipients facing difficulties such as insufficient living expenses, measures will be prepared to enable immediate support through safe income. Seonghun Jeong, Director of Seoul Welfare Policy Office, stated, "To ensure that tragedies like the Songpa Three Women Incident never happen again, Seoul will establish a systematic K-Welfare system encompassing proactive target identification, meticulous care, and income support for self-reliance."

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