[Editorial] The homeless, forgotten, die alone

A few days back, two homeless individuals that had been sleeping in a passageway in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo subway station died when a shutter designed to stop the spread of fire suddenly closed on top of them in the early morning hours. It is sad to learn that two people with no place of their own had to die such a shocking death. It was as if they were struck by lightning in their sleep. The fact that it happened right before the Chuseok holiday makes their deaths even more saddening.

There was a lot of interest in the plight of the homeless for a few years following the economic crisis of 1997. The government, for its part, implemented various plans to help and protect them, but one never hears that these plans had much of an effect. As some point, society lost interest. Meanwhile, on the surface it looks like there are far fewer homeless individuals than there used to be - not that anyone knows where all of them went. They disappeared from view, and so disappeared from public interest.

Everyone thinks nothing of it when they occasionally see people curled up to sleep in places like train stations. The sight ends up being a part of the familiar urban landscape. According to volunteer organizations, however, as of this May some 3,375 people were regularly visiting aid centers around the country. That is 1,000 less than the same month in 2005, but it is still not a small number.

The saddest thing for people in dire straits to face is indifference. For the homeless, it is that much worse. Each individual without a home has a different story behind how he got there, but once on the street, it is easy to lose all ambition about getting ahead in life. Experts say that if the situation becomes prolonged, the homeless usually tend to give up hope. It therefore becomes difficult to find one’s way out of homelessness unless given a little push from behind.

Everyone is busy ahead of the long Chuseok holiday weekend. People are busy preparing for travel to their respective hometowns, purchasing gifts, or getting ready to take off on vacations. In the midst of all the hubbub, the homeless and others facing alienation in our society feel even lonelier. They need to be remembered, especially during the holiday season. Even if only momentary, this acknowledgement can be a source of strength for them.

The homeless need places to stay safe before it gets any colder. There are increasingly fewer locations where they can sleep protected from the weather. They need a system of government support that helps them get on their feet again, but that can only come after they have places to sleep in comfort. The government has to get involved in preventing another incident in which people are met with misfortune while trying to rest in the only place they can.