A 30,000-won Journey for 4,000 Won a Day: Seniors Heading to the Streets to Grab 500 Won Coins

South Korea's elderly poverty rate exceeds 48%, recording the highest level among OECD countries. While the elderly population aged 65 and older has reached 5.42 million, meaning one in ten people is a senior, an increasing number of people are facing old age without any particular preparation. According to a KBS documentary video, seniors who cannot receive help from their children and even government support fails to reach them, head toward cathedrals and churches through the cold morning air every day.

In front of a cathedral in downtown Seoul, about a hundred seniors line up once a week to receive a 500 won coin. Grandma Jang Hyeon-sun hurries to secure her spot from dawn to receive this 500 won. In her hands, she holds a 'schedule' densely filled with a list of religious organizations that distribute money for free in downtown Seoul and places that provide meals.

The grandmother moves by planning her route by day of the week and time slot. For example, near Jamwondong Station, she receives 500 won and one pack of ramen, and on Thursdays, she receives 1,000 won at Seongdo Church. Checking meal providers near Sadang Station, she moves busily. Through this arduous journey of transferring subways several times, she pockets an average of about 4,000 won per day. If she runs consistently for a month, she earns about 120,000 won. This money is her precious pocket money and means of livelihood.

The case of another senior, Grandpa Choi Haeng-ri, is no different. The grandfather earns 200,000 won three days a week through public work, and for the remaining two days, he goes out to the streets to collect coins. At first, there was hesitation about receiving money for free, but as life became difficult, that hesitation disappeared. This is because while it is difficult to manage lunch at home, he can eat meals for free if he comes out to the streets.

The Welfare Blind Spot Blocked by Support Obligation Standards

The reason seniors head to the streets is not merely a financial issue. It is because of the terrible loneliness felt in an empty single room and the fear of lonely death. Grandma Jang says she comes out to the streets to meet people, stating, "It is important that there is someone here." However, the practical livelihood issues remain harsh.

This is because cases where people are disqualified from being recipients of Basic Livelihood Security due to having children who have no actual ability to support them are frequent. According to the video, among the 1.3 million Basic Livelihood Security recipients in our country, it is estimated that about 1.1 million people fail to obtain recipient rights due to nominal dependents. The current support obligation standard, which shifts responsibility to the family, is pointed out as a structural cause that fails to break the vicious cycle of poverty. It is a structure where it is very difficult to escape this situation through one's own effort or labor alone in a poor situation.

The life of Grandpa Kim Gi-sik, who has been living alone for 10 years, clearly shows this blind spot. Having lost contact with his family due to business failure and divorce, the grandfather suffers from diabetes and depression and takes more than five types of medication. He makes do with rice cakes received for free from the community center every day, and after paying taxes from an income of about 400,000 won, his living expenses are always insufficient.

Lonely Deaths and Suicide Rates, the Collapsing Dignity of Old Age

Economic poverty leads to social isolation. Cases of lonely deaths, where people are found dead after living alone with no contact with family, exceed 800 every year. Like the recent case of a 72-year-old grandfather found in a basement room in Seoul, incidents where no one knows about the death of a senior living alone while suffering from hearing impairment and diabetes are being repeated. No one realized his death until the helper who visited once a week arrived.

Experts emphasize that the public pension system and the Basic Livelihood Security system need to be supplemented so that seniors can live while maintaining minimum dignity. It is pointed out that the current level of support is insufficient for seniors to maintain a basic life. Voices are rising that it is difficult to even maintain a minimum dignified life with support of about 500,000 won.

Recently, tragedies are also occurring where both children and society turn away, such as a case where siblings fought over not wanting to take care of an elderly mother in her 80s and assaulted a relative, leaving them unconscious. Amidst the disgrace of ranking first in OECD suicide rates, the reality of the Korean elderly, whose happiness decreases as they age, shows that the expansion of welfare and social interest is urgent.