[People Dying Alone]② UK Creates 'Minister of Loneliness'... Korea Only Now Conducting Reality Survey

Increasing Solitary Deaths Due to Elderly Poverty and Single-Person Households
Delayed First Solitary Death Prevention Measures
UK and Japan Focus on Addressing Causes of Solitary Deaths

In the 1990s, shocking incidents continued to occur in Japan. Elderly people with no acquaintances were found in severely decomposed states. This issue peaked in 2000 when a 69-year-old man was discovered in a skeletal state in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Investigations revealed that he had died three years earlier. For three years, insects had been eating his corpse. During those three years, rent payments continued to be withdrawn from his bank account. Only when the account was depleted did people become aware of his death. As such incidents continued, the Japanese coined the neologism 'Kodokushi' (孤獨死). However, Kodokushi was not unique to Japan. Similar cases in other countries led English-speaking nations to adopt the term Kodokushi as well. The same applies to Korea, where the term 'Godoksa' is used, directly borrowing the Chinese characters of Japan's Kodokushi.

As the issue of Godoksa surfaced, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the '2022 Godoksa Status Survey' last December. As of 2021, 3,378 people died alone nationwide, with an average annual increase of 8.8% over five years. Among them, men in their 50s and 60s accounted for the largest proportion at 52.1%. The high-risk group for Godoksa was not the elderly over 70 suffering from old age, nor people in their 20s exposed to extreme choices due to depression, but men in their 50s and 60s.

Professor Heo Junsu of the Department of Social Welfare at Soongsil University stated, "Godoksa will continue to increase due to elderly economic poverty and the acceleration of single-person households," adding, "The government must intervene to eliminate blind spots in Godoksa." According to Statistics Korea, as of the end of September 2021, the number of single-person households registered in the resident registration system reached 9,367,439, surpassing 40% for the first time in history. Additionally, as of 2020, the relative poverty rate among the elderly aged 65 and over was 38.9%. This is about three times the average elderly poverty rate (13.5%) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries.

Government to Announce Godoksa Prevention Measures Next Month... "A Control Tower Needed to Solve Godoksa"

Health Management for Elderly Living Alone in Preparation for Cold Waves

As Godoksa emerged as a social issue, the government is devising countermeasures. Last year, it announced the first status survey and began grasping the current situation of Godoksa. Local governments designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare are conducting pilot projects for Godoksa prevention and management.

However, there are criticisms that much remains to be done. The first Godoksa prevention plan, which the Ministry of Health and Welfare was supposed to release, is delayed. It was scheduled to announce the '1st Basic Plan for Godoksa Prevention' in the first quarter of this year, but it is now known that the earliest possible announcement will be in mid-next month. A Ministry of Health and Welfare official said, "The National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee has passed a partial amendment bill to the Act on Prevention and Management of Godoksa, expanding the target from single-person households, and it is awaiting review by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. If this bill passes, the basic plan will need to be revised, causing further delays."

On the other hand, Japan appointed a 'Minister in charge of Loneliness and Isolation' as early as February 2021. Due to an increase in Godoksa and extreme choices caused by COVID-19, the government took active administrative measures. The Cabinet Secretariat established the Loneliness and Isolation Countermeasures Office and is creating counseling channels for high-risk groups in cooperation with private organizations.

The United Kingdom acted even faster. In 2018, the UK became the first country in the world to establish the 'Ministry of Loneliness.' The Ministry of Loneliness is known to be working with health-related agencies, businesses, and post offices to devise solutions to Godoksa.

Professor Jung Sundul of the Department of Social Welfare at Ewha Womans University said, "The measures in Japan and the UK focus not simply on 'Godoksa' but on resolving loneliness and isolation," adding, "They are efforts to address the root causes of Godoksa through comprehensive measures."

Experts point out that the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 1st Basic Plan for Godoksa Prevention should include practical and comprehensive measures. Professor Heo said, "Currently, our government provides limited administrative services to the Godoksa risk group, but in the future, a control tower should be established to manage Godoksa and ensure no gaps in life management for the elderly, including Godoksa prevention."