This file photo shows people crossing a street in Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — One in 5 South Korean adults do not wish to seek help from others, even when they are in dire need, a study showed Thursday.
The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs surveyed 8,185 South Korean adults between the ages of 19 and 60, dividing them into four groups: a non-exclusion group of individuals who both had help and were willing to get help; a voluntary exclusion group of those who had help but weren’t willing to get help; an involuntary exclusion group of those willing to seek help but weren’t able to find it; and an isolated group of people who didn’t have help and did not have any willingness to seek it.
If they were to unexpectedly find themselves in need of a large sum of money, 65.6 percent of the non-exclusion group were willing to seek help, compared to 8.6 percent for the voluntary exclusion group, 12.7 percent for the involuntary exclusion group and 13.1 percent for the isolated group.
Faced with depression or stress, 72.1 percent of the non-exclusion group were willing to seek help, significantly higher than 8.32 percent for the voluntary exclusion group, 7.86 percent for the involuntary exclusion group and 11.78 percent for the isolated group.
Around 8 percent of the voluntary exclusion group and 12 percent of the isolated group were willing to seek help on average.
The report pointed out that previous literature or policy decisions on social exclusion have focused on those who need help, instead of determining whether they were willing to seek help.
The isolated group, in particular, faces a high risk of solitary death, acute social withdrawal or even suicide after murdering their family members.
The voluntary exclusion group has a negative perception of solidarity and relationships with individualistic and cynical tendencies.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
