She studies lonely deaths — and shared her door code with a neighbor
Researcher Song In-joo's father had been adamant that he did not want to die in a hospital, so she stayed by his side at home through his final days. "I realized that death isn't a momentary event, but a long, painful process. You have to work hard to die," Song said. "Everything is going as it should," her father said two days before he died. "I believe my father died peacefully, thanks to the…
Song In-joo, a researcher at the Seoul Welfare Foundation, studied lonely deaths and shared her door code with a neighbor. Her father had always wished to die at home, so she remained by his side during his final days. Song soon realized that death was not a quick event, but a long, painful process that required care and human touch.
Just two days before her father's death in 2016, he expressed his belief that he would pass away peacefully thanks to the support he received. This experience inspired Song to begin researching lonely deaths in 2016, aiming to prevent people from dying without care or human contact.
To achieve this goal, Song analyzed police records on 20,000 unattended deaths and interviewed family members and neighbors to understand the circumstances surrounding lonely deaths, a process called a "social autopsy."
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- She studies lonely deaths — and shared her door code with a neighbor koreatimes.co.kr
