SEOUL-- First lady Kim Keon-hee on Thursday visited the memorial altar for a mother and her two daughters who were found dead earlier this week after reportedly struggling with illness and financial hardships.

The mother, in her 60s, and her daughters, in their 40s, apparently took their own lives at their home in Suwon, just south of Seoul.

The news shook the nation as it served as a stark reminder of the gaps in the country's welfare system.

Dressed in black, Kim arrived at the memorial altar inside a hospital in Suwon and paid her respects to the deceased before briefly talking with Buddhist officials who had officiated a memorial ceremony for the family.

"First lady Kim thanked us for doing what the state should be doing," a Buddhist official said.

President Yoon Suk-yeol spoke to the tragedy on Tuesday, saying such cases called for "special measures" to improve the welfare system.

Source: Yonhap News Agency