chosun.com /
Oct. 29, 2011 09:21 KST
There has been an
increase in elderly parents suing for monetary support from their
children, often when the children refuse to help with living and
medical expenses.
In 2002 there were only 68 such cases, but last year the number
almost tripled to 203. A court official said, "As the number of
senior citizens increases, we are seeing a rise in the number of
cases where they sue for financial assistance from their
children."
In one such case, a
73-year old man is seeking support from his children in order to
pay his medical bills. The man, who suffers from high blood
pressure and heart disease, said, "I have no income other than
state welfare support. I asked my two daughters, son and son-in-law
for money to help me get by, but they refused, saying they don't
have enough money even for themselves."
A court ruled earlier this month that the children and son-in-law
must each pay him between W100,000 and W150,000
(US$1=W1,129).
The main reason is that many elderly parents have no other source
of income. A typical complainant is over 70 with no income and
suffering from various ailments.
Those with children who are capable of supporting them do not
qualify for basic living subsidies, which amount to a maximum of
W436,044 a month and must rely solely on state welfare support for
the elderly, which is a mere W90,000 a month. If they have no
children, they are entitled to some W500,000 in government support
payments.
A judge at a Family Court said, "With the sharp increase in the
number of senior citizens, we need to come up with more systematic
measures to help the elderly who are being ignored by their
children."