Good morning, fellow Koreans,

I watched a sad story about three siblings on TV in April; it broke my heart. The children had to make do with free samples of food at discount stores, travel in subway trains aimlessly all day long and sleep in a public restroom in a park at night.

They had never enrolled in school. Their father, who was mentally ill, could not take care of the children. Because their resident registration records were expunged, they were neglected by everyone without benefiting from any institutional welfare service. I was shocked when I saw the broadcast.

I immediately instructed the Ministry of Health and Welfare to identify those who fall through the cracks in the welfare system like the three children. After on-site inspections, the Ministry found as many as 24,000 people living in a similar situation. More than half of them were the most vulnerable members of society, like children, seniors and people with disabilities who cannot protect themselves.

The fact that so many people have been left out in the cold with no help from the welfare system is a huge blind spot in our society. Nevertheless, it is fortunate that the Government has identified them and come up with measures for them before the rainy season started. Every single one of these stories was truly frustrating and heartbreaking.

Here is another one about a 17-year old boy in Hanam city in Gyeonggi Province. Since he lost one parent to an accident and the other to disease, he has lived with his older cousin and his grandmother who cannot get around easily. They were eking out a living depending on the meager income from his cousin’s part-time job. Made aware of their situation by neighbors, government officials visited them and found the boy undernourished and poorly clothed.

The first assistance provided to this household was food, which was followed by help getting the boy back in school. In addition, a welfare foundation will support this family on a sustained basis, and the cousin will be able to work fulltime.

There was yet another heartbreaking story related to a woman who immigrated to Korea to get married. Following her marriage, she settled down in Jincheon county, North Chungcheong Province. But afterwards her husband died, she and her new-born baby have been nearly starving. The female Saemaul leader and the head of the village reported her destitute condition to the authorities.

As she was suffering from mental illness, the authorities took measures to have her hospitalized. A child protection center is now taking care of the baby. Her resident registration, which was cancelled, will be renewed soon. When her treatment ends, she will receive assistance to help her support herself.

Many people in need did not have sufficient information about Government support programs, and many resident registrations were canceled. The Government has so far striven to knit the welfare net more tightly, but still much remains to be done. Although this situation is also found in other leading welfare nations, all these recent affairs served as a clear reminder that blind spots still remain in the nation’s welfare system.  

When it comes to welfare benefits, the most needy are those who lack even the minimal foundation to live with dignity and thus, teeter on the brink of disaster. Ideally, each and every person in the nation should be allowed to enjoy welfare benefits. Still, the top priority has to be placed on the most vulnerable. For this reason, the Government remains committed to implementing a tailor-made welfare policy.

While many eligible people do not receive welfare benefits, there are also a number of ineligible individuals, who receive them illegally. In order to rectify such irregularities, we have to firmly establish a transparent, advanced welfare delivery system.

In January 2010, the Government opened an integrated online welfare management network. Through the system, the complex payment and service details that run to more than 100 have been administered and managed according to individuals and households at the receiving end. The system has largely been able to prevent illegal welfare payments, while improving overall welfare administration with speed and efficiency.

With the resulting budget savings, the Government intends to effectively support needy households. But what is more important fundamentally is to help underprivileged people gain a better education and employment, become financially independent and join the middle class.

Fellow Koreans,

I have to thank all the citizens who have cooperated in the Government’s work of identifying needy families who failed to receive the assistance they deserved from the Government. Other good news is that as much as 40 percent of all the newly provided assistance to vulnerable citizens comes from the combined effort of the Government and non-government sector. Many needy people are recovering hope thanks to their warm-hearted neighbors.

Help for alienated neighbors comes from all walks of society—religious communities, private enterprises and social organizations as well as countless individuals. Where there is a lack of government support, there are warm hands reaching out to the underprivileged. In this way, the non-government sector is crucial in eliminating blind spots in social welfare.

In the recent search to find needy citizens, leaders of local governments were instrumental. I hope that the local governments that are in the forefront of helping families in need will continue to care for them.

The rainy season has started. I worry that the protracted rain might inflict damage, particularly harming the most needy. Let us all prepare ourselves for any possible damage caused by the rain.

Thank you very much.