Korean society, Church confront aging, loneliness, and population crisis

South Korea faces an existential crisis triggered by rapidly rising elderly people and record low birth rates

Jan 14, 2025

Catholic nuns visit an elderly woman in South Korean capital Seoul in this undated photo. (Courtesy: Catholic Times of Korea)


SEOUL:
South Korea, recently designated as a “super-aged” society, faces a two-pronged challenge – bridging the generational gap due to aging, and implementing integrated measures to arrest population decline while caring for its elderly.

The number of Koreans aged 65 and above stood at 10.24 million, which is around 20 percent of its 51.22 million population, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Interior and Safety.

Father Stefanus Na Jong-jin, head of Seoul Archdiocese's pastoral team providing care for the elderly, expressed alarm over the increasing number of elderly people who are often lonely and marginalized.

“The pace of aging in Korea is accelerating rapidly in conjunction with the decline in births,” Na said.

South Korea’s birth rate, the number of live births per woman, stands at a dismal 0.74, the lowest among world nations.

This figure highlights the country's alarming demographic crisis, with birth rates significantly below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population.

According to a Korea research survey among 1,000 people titled “Public Opinion in 2024,” only half of the respondents under 30 believe that they should have children.

Among the respondents of the multiple-choice survey, 61 percent (610 people) said the financial difficulties of raising children were keeping them away from becoming parents.

Among the respondents, 56 percent (560) said that having children made it difficult for them to be happy in society.

Loneliness and deaths
The elderly living in South Korean society are facing multiple issues which include loneliness and marginalization, among others.

“Social institutions and civic consciousness have not kept up with the pace [of aging and decline in births], and it is expected that generational conflicts and the marginalization of the elderly will become more prominent in the future,” Na warned.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's latest data, there were 3,559 and 3,661 lonely death cases in 2022 and 2023, respectively, The Korea Herald reported. This accounted for 1.04 percent and 0.95 percent of all deaths during the corresponding period.

By age, those in their 60s accounted for most of the deaths -- 1,110 or 31.2 percent, and 1,146 or 31.3 percent in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

The number of lonely deaths has steadily increased, recording 2,949 deaths in 2019, 3,279 in 2020, and 3,378 in 2021.

Most of those who passed away alone were found in their homes by landlords, security guards or the apartment building manager, the health ministry said adding that factors including the rise in single-person households have contributed to the deaths.

According to the government data, the number of single-person households in the country has grown from 7.17 million in 2021, to 7.5 million in 2022, and 7.83 million in 2023, The Korea Herald reported.

Medically-assisted deaths
Further aggravating the trend of loneliness and lonely death is the concept of euthanasia or assisted dying which has seen increased acceptance among South Koreans.

Among the 1,000 South Koreans surveyed by the research firm Public Opinion, an overwhelming 84 percent of respondents (840 individuals) agreed that it was necessary to introduce euthanasia in the country.

Also known as “death with dignity,” euthanasia has been legalized in Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Austria, Belgium, and Switzerland.

No matter how much acceptance the practice of euthanasia has received among world nations, the Catholic Church has categorically condemned it.

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith through its declaration “Dignitas Infinita,” on Human Dignity had denounced the practice of euthanasia calling it “a special case of human dignity violation that is quieter but is swiftly gaining ground.”

“Helping the suicidal person to take his or her own life is an objective offense against the dignity of the person asking for it, even if one would be thereby fulfilling the person’s wish,” the dicastery emphasized.

Amidst such challenges, the Catholic church “should follow Pope Francis' lead in paying special attention to the elderly,” Na emphasized.

Under the leadership of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has been at the forefront of launching various initiatives to take care of the elderly and make them feel more welcomed in the Church and society.

In 2021, Pope Francis established the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, celebrated on the fourth Sunday of July.

The theme for 2024 was "Do not cast me off in my old age (Psalm 71:9).”

The church must “develop and implement integrated programs to connect all generations, from infants to the elderly, with the pastoral goal of 'inter-generational connectivity,'” Na emphasized.--ucanews.com

Total Comments:0

Name
Email
Comments