SEOUL, June 3 (AJU PRESS) - One in three people born in the 1960s have a fear of dying alone, a recent survey reveals. According to the survey of 980 people in their late middle age, conducted by the Care for All Foundation last month and released on Monday, 30.2 percent harbored a gloomy outlook that they would "die alone." The likelihood of holding this pessimistic view was higher among those with lower incomes.
A "lonely death" refers to the situation where persons die without contact with family or relatives, be it from suicide or disease, and left undiscovered for some time.
In 2021, there were some 3,378 lonely deaths, with the number of cases involving men being four times higher than those involving women. More than 50 percent of the cases occurred among those in their 50s and 60s. The most common locations are their houses, often one-room apartments, with initial discoverers often being siblings, landlords, and neighbors.
The prevalence of these concerns was higher among those with lower incomes, reaching 49.9 percent for those with a monthly income of less than two million won ($1,450).
The foundation surveyed particularly those born in the 1960s because they account for 16.4 percent (8.5 million) of Korea's total population of about 52 million.
Forty-six percent of respondents said that they wish to die at home, but 30 percent of them predicted they would actually die somewhere else. Some 78 percent of respondents felt that state care services for the elderly, disabled, and sick were not sufficient, while 86 percent urged more increased coverage for the socially vulnerable.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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