A postal worker who finds one-person households at risk of dying alone... Health and hygiene 'check' and 'chatting' 혼자 사는 1인 가구가 늘면서 고독사 문제가 심각한 사회 문제로 떠올랐다. As the number of one-person households living alone increases, the problem of dying alone has emerged as a serious social issue. 정부와 지방자치단체는 물론 우정사업본부도 이 같은 문제 해결을 위해 힘을 보태고 있다. Not only the government and local governments, but also the Korea Post Office is joining forces to solve this problem. 우정사업본부는 2019년부터 우편배달 업무를 하면서 홀로 사는 가구의 안전을 확인하는 ‘복지등기’ 서비스를 제공하고 있다. The Korea Post Office has been providing a 'welfare registration' service that checks the safety of households living alone while delivering mail since 2019. 집배원들이 우편물을 배달하면서 홀로 사는 가구의 건강과 위생 상태를 확인하고, 말벗이 돼 외로움을 덜어주고 있다. As postal workers deliver mail, they check the health and hygiene of households living alone and become their conversational partners to alleviate their loneliness. 지난해 9월 대구광역시와 업무협약을 맺고 시작한 ‘대구시 복지등기 우편서비스’는 1인 가구 증가율이 높은 지역을 중심으로 5000가구를 선정해 서비스를 제공하고 있다. The 'Daegu Metropolitan City Welfare Registration Postal Service', which started in September last year with a business agreement with Daegu Metropolitan City, provides services to 5,000 households, focusing on areas with a high increase rate of single-person households. 서비스를 받은 1인 가구 10명 중 8명은 “집배원이 찾아와서 말벗이 돼주니 외로움이 덜어진다”며 만족감을 나타낸 것으로 조사됐다. It was found that 8 out of 10 single-person households who received the service expressed satisfaction, saying, "The postal worker visits and becomes a conversational partner, which reduces loneliness." 우정사업본부는 올해 3월부터는 한국노인인력개발원과 협업해 65세 이상 어르신 1000명을 집배원으로 채용, 이들이 은퇴 후에도 일할 수 있는 기회를 제공하고 있다. From March this year, the Korea Post Office has collaborated with the Korea Employment Development Institute for the Elderly to hire 1,000 elderly people aged 65 or older as postal workers, providing them with opportunities to work even after retirement. 우정사업본부 관계자는 “앞으로도 지역사회와 협업해 고독사 예방을 위한 사회안전망을 구축해 나가겠다”고 말했다. A Korea Post Office official said, "We will continue to collaborate with the local community to build a social safety net to prevent lonely deaths."

On December 12th, 집배원 박주한 (30) embarked on a visit to an apartment in Jangheung-eup, Jangheung-gun, Jeollabuk-do, carrying a box of two-yu. Upon arrival, the elderly man, 박정덕 (80), greeted her with a wagging tail from his dog, while 박주한 called out, "Mom, are you home?" The dog's tail confirmed his presence, and 박정덕 followed her inside, acknowledging the pain in his shoulder that had led him to the hospital.

Recognizing the ache, 박주한 knew she had taken care of her health. He asked, "No pain anywhere now?" 박정덕 explained, "This shoulder makes me unable to pick up a bowl or do anything." He then expressed his desire to return to the US for surgery, as he didn't want to leave his dog alone. 박주한 scanned the apartment for cleanliness and hygiene while chatting with 박정덕, offering him the two-yu box and wishing him to turn on the air conditioner during hot weather.

After bidding farewell, 박주한 checked on the remaining four out of five high-risk single-person households in Jangheung-gun. Both Jangheung-gun and Jangheung-ui-ryong-ryong (Jangheung-ui-ryong-ryong) have been conducting the "Ahnbu Salmi Postal Service" program, supported by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, since last year, delivering essential supplies twice a month to check on the well-being of high-risk households and identify any crisis situations to provide support.

The 집배원 completes a checklist covering health, living conditions, and cleanliness, and reports any notable issues to the local government, which connects the individual to necessary welfare services. The checklist includes health status, living environment (cleanliness), and cleanliness of the individual. 박주한 noted, "The pain in my shoulder makes it difficult to move my arm or carry out daily activities.

Continuous health monitoring is needed." She explained her strategy of verbally probing for information as she believes visual observation alone does not provide a complete picture. In a previous incident during the service, 박주한 saved the life of a 70-year-old man who had fallen and hit his head on the wall. Recognizing the man's history of heart surgery, 박주한 immediately contacted the hospital, where a medical team arrived to assist the elderly man.

The 안부살핌 service is followed by welfare service integration. Last year, Jangheung-gun connected 2 individuals to long-term care services, managed 7 high-risk individuals, installed LED lights for 11 elderly individuals, conducted free electrical safety checks and repairs for 14 low-income households. Across the country, 31 local governments supported 5,770 individuals through 3,634 welfare integrations.

This year, 56 local governments, including six in 전남광주시, are conducting the 안부살핌 service. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's welfare resource integration team explained that while the financial support per person is modest, the direct interaction over a year helps build a sense of connection and provides comfort to those receiving assistance, leading to higher satisfaction rates.