I'm going to share my experience regarding the inheritance of assets by a recipient of basic livelihood benefits. This isn't meant to be informative, but rather a sharing of personal experience, so there might be some emotional bias and a lack of objectivity. Please take it as a reference. (This article is based on Korean law and welfare systems.)
Complex Family Relationships Entangled in Inherited Property
Conflicts That Can Arise During Inheritance Procedures
Anyone who has gone through the inheritance process knows that the world isn't just full of heartwarming and beautiful scenes where siblings say, "It's okay, you take more." Just as complex as the inheritance process itself are the family relationships surrounding that inheritance. The legal share of inheritance, that is, what you are legally entitled to, is already set, but human affairs aren't always so clear-cut. Here are some common issues:
1. There's an invisible order within family relationships.
The inheritance process is incredibly complex; there's a lot to know. Usually, it's handled by a judicial scrivener, but discussions between siblings are bound to happen. And during these discussions, someone might say something unreasonable. A prime example is, "Since you're a basic livelihood recipient, don't take everything; just take this much." In such cases, the textbook solution would, of course, be to legitimately express and refute the opinion by saying something like, "Legally speaking, that doesn't seem right." But in reality, it's difficult to even bring up the law in a family setting due to the atmosphere.
To express an opinion, you first need to know something. If parents have passed away and inheritance is involved, the inheritors are likely to be older. Unless they work in the legal field, it's difficult for them to be well-versed in legal matters and assert their rights. When someone says something, they might not critically evaluate it but just think, "Is... is that so?"
So, ultimately, negotiations sometimes aren't based on mutual consideration among inheritors and their legally guaranteed legitimate rights, but rather swayed by a sort of hierarchy established within that family relationship. There can be situations where something feels wrong, but it's uncomfortable to speak up.
2. They are too ignorant of each other.
The fundamental reason conflicts arise over inheritance is self-centeredness. Thoughts like, "That sibling seems to be fine with just this amount of money, but I absolutely need this money," or "I diligently cared for our parents when they were alive, but now that they're gone, the one who was too busy living their own life is acting like a devoted child" — such dissatisfactions can arise. You might think, "What's the problem if it's legally guaranteed to be divided equally?" But in reality, problems do arise. There are people who unilaterally write up an inheritance division agreement and subtly try to get others to sign it.
My Personal Experience
My maternal grandmother passed away. Her assets were, of course, supposed to be equally inherited by her children, and among them was a household receiving basic livelihood benefits. So, that family and the siblings were constantly worried that receiving the inheritance might cut off their living benefits.
It was at this time that the eldest sibling, a pastor and his wife, made this suggestion: "Money means nothing to them anyway. So let's just give them 1/10 of their original share, and the rest can be divided among the other siblings." And what did they add? "If something difficult happens, the siblings can just chip in and help from behind." That's what they argued. What do you think?
Some might think, "Well, they didn't want the basic livelihood benefits to be cut off, so giving everything wasn't an option, but at least they tried to take care of them."
But that was completely wrong. Right now, because I intervened and raised a fuss, that basic livelihood recipient family received their full inheritance, didn't lose their beneficiary status, bought a house in their own name, and are living well. This incident was also the fundamental reason I started this welfare blog, and I'll elaborate on that story in the next part. It's 4 AM right now, so I'm going to get some sleep first...