Before committing suicide, the family left a letter asking the landlord for forgiveness

Have you heard of the sad incident that occurred in 2014, when a Korean family committed collective suicide in Seocho-gu in Seoul?

Many Koreans were shocked to learn how a mother and her two daughters chose to end their lives after having faced many hardships in life.

The tragedy had many Koreans questioning why the country's social safety net was not working properly.

There had been similar incidents in the past, with vulnerable persons in society unfortunately dying. Each time it happened, the South Korean government took action and introduced new protective measures.

But it seems like these promises were soon forgotten. 

Six years later, in December 2020, South Korea was once again shocked by a similar incident.

In this article, we will look into the story of a man with a developmental disorder, and how his mother's dead body was left unnoticed for months. 

Social worker approaching the homeless man in front of Isu Station (Source: MBC)

The reason why we know what happened is largely thanks to a social worker.

In November 2020, a man wearing black clothes, his head lowered, was begging for money in front of Isu Station in Seoul. Most people paid little attention to him.

However, a social worker approached the man and spoke to him. 

Source: MBIG News

The man pointed to a sign in front of his collection box. It read: "Mom died on May 3. Please help me."

The social worker said that talking to the man, she learned that he had a developmental disability.

As the social worker approached him, the man first thought that she was sent to force him to work on a fishing boat, and he almost ran away. Living on the streets, it seems like he was very wary of people. 

The man earned about five thousand won a day sitting in front of the busy Isu Station. He is said to have been living on the streets there for months.

As the social worker continued her conversation with the man, she was told a shocking story.

The social worker in an interview (Source: MBC)

"My mom, she was looking at her cellphone. Then she said, 'I can't move my arms'. And she fell down." The man pretended to pass out before continuing his story.

“Then the flies came, and the larvae came. Then the larvae came into my room.”

Although no one else would listen to the man, the social worker chose to believe him.

She asked the police to come with her to the man's house. When they entered, they found the body of Ms. Kim (60), the man's mother.

The apartment in Bangbae-dong where the mother and her son lived

It was on December 3, 2020, that Ms. Kim's body was found in her apartment in Bangbae-dong, Seoul, an area slated for city redevelopment.

The neighborhood is located only a 10-minute walk from the affluent Seorae Village.

Her body was so badly decayed that her bones were visible here and there.

Receiving basic livelihood grants, the deceased Ms. Kim and her son had been living in the house for more than 10 years. Her son, Mr. Choi, had developmental disabilities. 

Not having paid into her health insurance since November 2008, Ms. Kim couldn't easily visit a hospital. 

With no signs of violence, the police judged the case to be "death due to chronic disease''. This was also based on Ms. Kim's medical history, which included surgery for brain hemorrhage.

Her son also stated that his mother vomitted several times the day she passed away.

The police investigation found that at least five months had passed since Ms. Kim's death. Her body was covered with a thin blanket at the time of discovery, the ends of the blanket taped to the floor. 

During the investigation, Mr. Choi said, “Mom was lying on her side and breathing strangely. I thought she might be cold, so I covered her with a blanket up to her chest”.

He continued, “Then I covered mom's face too, to keep the flies out.”

Mr. Choi, who has a developmental disorder, could do nothing but watch his mother die.

Mr. Choi told the police and the social worker, "I cried and prayed to Buddha to heal my mother. Several days passed, but mom didn't start breathing again."

 Source: YTN

Apparently Mr. Choi stayed and watched over his dead mother for some time. Left alone in the house, he wrote in his notebook, “My mother died of paralysis. Please help me." However, there was nobody there to read his message.

Soon he ran out of food, and eventually the electricity was cut off. With no TV, there was nothing to do at home. Mr. Choi left the house and started sleeping in the subway station instead.

Mr. Choi stated that he hadn't been home since fall, but it's not clear exactly for how long he lived as a homeless.

Then, in November, he met the social worker while begging in front of Exit 12 of Isu Station in Dongjak-gu, Seoul.

The social worker recalled that he looked like he hadn't had a shower for a long time, and that he had blisters all over his hands. He was wearing clothes for construction workers and wore dress shoes. 

Before Ms. Kim's death, the mother and son had been suffering from poverty for a long time.

Ms. Kim used to live in North Jeolla Province, but moved to Seoul in 1993 after a bitter split with her husband. She felt that she couldn't leave her 9-year-old son, who had developmental disabilities, so she brought him with her.

Mr. Kim never had a stable job, but worked small jobs within the public sector.

Her last recorded income was a total of 1.24 million won, which she received after having signed up to fight mosquitoes for 62 days between May and October in 2019.

Ms. Kim would then qualify for basic livelihood security (available for those earning 45% or less of median income), and she was receiving housing grant of 250,000 won per month since October 2018.

When the police found the body, the wall close to her door was plastered with red notes. They warned that the electricity would be cut.

Her son, Mr. Choi, who doesn't know much of how the world works, repeatedly asked, “Why do we pay monthly rent? Why are we kicked out if we don't? Why do we have to pay the electricity bill? Why do they cut off the electricity?”

Expensive high-rise residential buildings visible behind the family's run-down apartment building

As recipients of basic livelihood security under South Korean welfare, there should have been more assistance available to the family. However, not only could the local community not help them, no one even noticed the tragedy for months.

Had her son not left the house, his mother's body might have still been unnoticed. Ms. Kim was cremated on December 9, with authorities looking for a place to lay her ashes to rest.

Mr. Choi is being investigated by the police for abandonment of dead body.

The police said that there is a high possibility that Mr. Choi will be cleared of the charges, but they have to continue the investigation due to his disability not having been registered and confirmed.

The 36-year-old Mr. Choi has a very limited knowledge of the world. He only attended school until second grade of elementary school.

He knows how to read and write, can count from 1 to 10 and make phone calls, but that's about it.

The social worker said, “Mr. Choi does not understand concepts such as "reporting" or "neighborhood". He can do most things on his own, but he lacks social capability. Therefore he is defenseless against fraud and other crimes.”

The social worker is now helping Mr. Choi to register as disabled in order for him to gain independence.

The local district as well as the community center are expected to pay for Mr. Choi's disability examination fees as well as the funeral costs. Mr. Choi is also expected to receive emergency welfare of 450,000 won per month for six months to help him with living expenses.

Learning about this incident, we can't help but to think that if the local community and local authorities had been more vigilant, the tragedy could have been prevented. 

This and other similar story also tell us something about how the economically vulnerable in South Korea have long been overlooked, and many sad deaths have occurred as a result.

We hope that the legal and social safety net for the vulnerable in South Korea will be further strengthened in the future.

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