South Korea’s middle aged men are dying ‘lonely deaths’
韩国中年男性正“孤独地死去”
South Korea has a problem: thousands of people, many middle aged and
isolated
,
are dying alone each year, often going undiscovered for days or weeks.
韩国出现一个问题：每年都有成千上万的人孤独地死去，其中很多是独居的中年人，往往几天或几周后才被发现。
This is “lonely deaths,” a widespread phenomenon the government has been trying to
combat
for years as its population rapidly ages.
这就是“孤独死”，随着人口迅速老龄化，韩国政府多年来一直在努力对抗这一普遍现象。
Under South Korean law, a “lonely death” is when someone who lives alone,
cut off
fr
om family or relatives, dies due to suicide or illness, with their body found only after “a certain amount of time” has passed.
根据韩国法律，“孤独死”指的是一个人独自生活，与家人或亲戚断绝联系，死于自杀或疾病，尸体在“一定时间”过去后才被发现。
The issue has gained national attention over the past decade as the number of lonely deaths increased. Factors behind the trend include the country’s
demographic
crisis, gaps in social welfare, poverty and social isolation – all of which have become more
pronounced
since the Covid-19 pandemic.
在过去的十年里，随着孤独死人数的增加，这个问题已经引起了全国的关注。这一趋势背后的因素包括该国的人口危机、社会福利差距、贫困和社会孤立——自2019冠状病毒病大流行以来，所有这些问题都变得更加突出。
Last year, the country recorded 3,378 such deaths, up from 2,412 in 2017, according to a report released last Wednesday by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
韩国保健福祉部上周三发布的一份报告显示，去年，韩国有3378例此类死亡病例，高于2017年的2412例。
重点词汇
1.
isolated:
without much contact with other people or other countries孤独的；孤立的
-Elderly people easily become socially isolated.
2.
combat:
to stop sth unpleasant or harmful from happening or from getting worse 防止；减轻
-measures to combat crime
3.
cut off:
to separate them from things that they are normally connected with. 隔离
-She feels very cut off living in the country.
4.
demographic:
of or relating to demography 人口的
-demographical data from the 1950s
5.
pronounced:
very noticeable, obvious or strongly expressed 显著的；很明显的；表达明确的
-She has very pronounced views on art.
