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Analysis of YouTube comments revealed numerous negative terms used to refer to homeless individuals. This prejudice is also evident in some media reports, such as the Busan Station stabbing incident, which was initially reported as a fight between homeless people but later found to be inaccurate. KBS also displayed this bias in its initial reporting. Last year, "Homeless Action" filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission regarding hateful posts about homeless people on the subway, and the commission ruled it an infringement of personal rights.

Mr. Chae, a homeless man with 10 years on the streets, whom I met at Seoul Station, began relying on alcohol due to family discord. After his engagement broke off due to issues with his sister's marriage, he was hospitalized for alcoholism during his military service. Upon discharge, he learned his sister had already married, and after his father's death, he lost contact with his family. He struggled to find work across the country due to his age and status as a recipient of basic livelihood security, eventually ending up at Seoul Station.

Mr. Chae is currently passing his time by folding origami cranes and talking to his parrot, and he has largely quit drinking and is not receiving basic livelihood security benefits. He stated that he intentionally doesn't receive the benefits to help him quit drinking.

Another homeless man, Mr. Kim, in his 30s, left home in middle school due to family discord and began living on the streets. He moved to Seoul, lives in a gosiwon (a type of affordable single-room housing), and works at construction sites as a day laborer. He revealed that he is dating a woman he met at work. Mr. Kim learned about homeless support centers through police substations and the city hall and is currently living in a gosiwon with rent assistance.

The homeless individuals I met at Seoul Station were not people who could be defined by negative terms like "smelly, able-bodied, lazy, smells of alcohol, weak-willed, cancer, vermin, pathetic." A survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare found that food and housing expenses accounted for the largest portion of homeless people's spending, while the proportion spent on alcohol and tobacco decreased. Furthermore, the utilization rate of employment counseling and support programs for homeless individuals has been steadily increasing.