A man in his 50s who recently lost South Korean citizenship after failing to register with the government was found dead Wednesday, Jeju police officials said Thursday.
The body was uncovered at 8:14 p.m. at a closed hotel in Ildo-dong, Jeju City on Jeju Island by a resident who submitted a report to the police. Police have yet to find evidence of a crime and believe that the victim died while living without a permanent residence.
South Korea regularly surveys citizens whose residence is not registered with authorities, and citizenship is revoked after five years for those without an administrative record or residence.
The man's clothing and other items for daily use were found with the body, which was decomposed to a considerable degree at the time it was discovered.
Identification was found on the body, and the police learned that the man's citizenship had been deregistered. Officials are investigating when the death occurred and when his citizenship registration number expired.
The hotel had been in operation from 1987 to 2006, and the building has been abandoned since.
Under the Social Welfare Service Act, South Korea provides livelihood benefits for people unable to make enough money to sustain their livelihood. Only citizens, foreign nationals who are married citizens and meet specific conditions, and those officially acknowledged as refugees are eligible. Those whose official residence is unclear are ineligible for the benefits.
A 2024 data by the Ministry of Health and Welfare showed that 5,400 people across the country died alone, without any living relatives or relatives who agreed to take the body.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
