Catholic activist calls for an integrated response and support system for people living alone
More and more young South Koreans are opting to not get married and have children. (Photo: AFP)
Nearly one in every three households in South Korea consists of a single person, triggering alarm among social activists.
South Korea had 6,643,000 single-person households in 2020, an all-time high at 31.7 percent, according to a recently released survey by the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSTAT).
The agency reported that the rise of single-person households from 27.2 percent in 2015 to 31.7 percent in 2020 resulted from a series of socioeconomic drivers, such as unemployment, extremely high housing expenses, the gender pay gap and high costs to raise children, reported the Catholic Peace Broadcasting Corporation (CPBC).
South Korean single-person households comprise various age groups, but the largest group or 44.8 percent are people aged 40 to late 60s. The second-largest group at 35.9 percent are people aged 20 to late 30s, KOSTAT reported.
This phenomenon of single-person homes is popularly known in Korean as “honjok” — people who willingly choose a single, self-isolated lifestyle.
This social phenomenon is worrisome and requires an integrated response and support system, says Father Lee Young-woo, a priest and social activist from Seoul Archdiocese.
“We offer this service for socially disadvantaged people. Often, middle-aged and elderly come here for cheap rooms because they cannot afford better housing”
“It is necessary to prepare an integrated response and integrated support system, such as food supply and options for socializing and social relationships. These people should be entitled to rights to affordable housing, employment and medical support,” the priest said.
Lucia Park Bo-a, chief executive of Gosi Village, a low-cost housing facility in capital Seoul, noted that middle-aged and elderly people often come to the center looking for cheap rooms.
“We offer this service for socially disadvantaged people. Often, middle-aged and elderly come here for cheap rooms because they cannot afford better housing,” Park said.
Due to self-isolation and being cut off from family and friends, they struggle with pessimistic views and hardships in life. This leads to suicide and lonely deaths, she pointed out.
Unemployment in South Korea stands at 3.9 percent, which contributes to more families facing a cash crunch, according to data from the International Labor Organization.
A survey by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education found that 53.1 percent of respondents said they didn’t have the financial capacity to raise more than one child
Meanwhile, cheap housing options are a rarity in South Korea. For example, an apartment that cost 607 million won in 2017 cost up to 1.21 billion won (US$1.03 million) in October 2021 in capital Seoul.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states the gender pay gap between men and women is 31.5 percent in South Korea, placing the country at the bottom of 29 developed nations.
A survey by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education found that 53.1 percent of respondents said they didn’t have the financial capacity to raise more than one child.
In another survey last year, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family found that six out of 10 young people think it is unnecessary to get married and have children.
South Korea, a nation of 51.8 million, had the world’s lowest birth rate of 0.84 in 2020, official data showed.
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