Pastor arranges funerals for migrant workers

By Kim Da-ye

Not all migrant workers who come to Korea alone and die from an accident or illness have someone who will contact their family, settle any disputes about the cause of the death and arrange their funeral.

The bodies of these people are left in hospital mortuaries.

An Dae-hwan, a pastor who started a mission group for foreign workers in 1998 and expanded it into the Korea Migration Foundation, came across many desperate pleas for help regarding such migrant workers’ deaths.

In 2008, he decided to set up the International Funeral Support Center.

The center doesn’t have its own office, but is part of the foundation based in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, a non-profit organization to promote the rights of foreigners. The center doesn’t even have a sign because no neighborhood wants anything to do with funerals, An said.

Over the last six years, he has learned it is very complex work.

Upon receiving a report of a death, An and other staffers visit the site to find any belongings of the dead, or the hospital to find out the cause and have a death certificate issued. In the case of an accident, they also have to check with the police.

The center contacts the family of the dead, who either let An cremate the body in Korea or ask him to send it to their home country.

Then, An has to claim insurance and settle any unpaid wages, compensation or severance pay on behalf of the family.

“We’ve learned the process over a long time, but government officials have no idea how to handle it,” An said.

The whole process takes two to three months. Of course, it can stretch even further when the deceased’s family does not agree with the cause of death or when An cannot locate any family members or acquaintances. Three months ago, he travelled to Shenyang in northeastern China to find the family of a deceased worker.

The biggest challenge of running the center, however, is raising funds. Conducting a funeral, in general, is costly, and doing so for foreigners sometimes involves overseas trips.

The center receives donations, and some families of the deceased can afford to pay the expenses. Not every dead migrant worker is lucky to have either. The pastor recalled a worker whose corpse was kept in a mortuary for three years because there was no money for a funeral. He said that the center arranges up to 16 funerals a year.

The pastor believes companies with a sizable corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund would make ideal sponsors for the center, but finding one has proved difficult.

“We have visited many companies. We have tried to persuade them, telling them they can contribute to society and publicize their charity. But they all rejected the idea, saying that the subject was too serious,” An said.

Nevertheless, knowing the good he is doing motivates him to move forward. Two months ago, he travelled to Vietnam for a funeral. The dead Vietnamese worker had five brothers. He was invited to each brother’s home, and left the country with a lot of coffee given as gifts.

“This is people-to-people diplomacy. Is there any diplomatic work better than this? I call for more attention from the government,” the pastor said.