[News Today] Tragedy strikes in childcare void

[LEAD]
Tragic accidents are claiming the lives of children left alone at home. Fires are breaking out while parents are away, and young lives are being lost. At the heart of it, is a devastating gap in childcare.

[REPORT]
Just ten minutes after their parents had left for their early morning cleaning job, two sisters, seven and ten years old, while deep asleep, were killed in a deadly fire.

The family could not afford childcare.

Neighbor
The kids were so courteous and friendly. They greeted me while they might even not know me.

Also in Incheon four months ago, a 12 year old elementary school student died while alone at home due to a fire.

Mom was at work and dad had gone to the hospital for treatment.

Both of these tragic accidents occurred during a vacuum in childcare.

President Lee Jae Myung has vowed to thoroughly investigate the reasons behind the incidents and make sure such tragedies never occur again.

In fact, there is a government-operated emergency childcare service in place but its usage rate is low.

The cost is a particular concern for low income earners.

The government supports 75% of childcare costs for households below 75% of median income but other families must pay a fee of over 7,000 won per hour, over 5 dollars.

Baek Young-suk / Childcare provider
The cost jumps sharply. It's financially difficult for dual income families to use the service.

Some people are not aware such service exists at all while others give up using it.

This year, there have been 12-hundred applications for this service but only 66% of them were actually connected to a childcare provider.

During vulnerable hours, it's even more difficult to find a care giver.

Park Eun-jung / Korea Institute of Child Care and Education
Incentives, motivation are needed to dispatch care givers during challenging hours.

The two children who lost their lives in Busan and Incheon with no proper care available to them have donated their organs after death.

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