Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
Lack of crematorium causes problem
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff reporter
More Koreans are seeking cremation upon the death of their loved ones, and for themselves, but the number of crematoriums has fallen far behind the growing demand. Worse, the chances for the imbalance to be corrected in the near future are low given the prevalent not-in-my-backyard or Nimby neighbors.
A Korea Gallup survey in 2009 showed that more than 70 percent of Koreans want to be cremated when they die, but there are only 49 crematoriums nationwide.
According to Seoul City, the cremation rate of Seoulites is on the increase ― from 31 percent in 1997 to 48 percent in 2000 and 65 percent in 2005. The city expects the rate to exceed to 80 percent this year.
However, there is only one municipal crematory for Seoul residents ― Byeokje Crematorium in Gyeonggi Province and a second one being built in Wonji-dong, southern Seoul, in February, only some 10 years after fierce protests from local residents subsided.
The Byeokje Crematorium can handle some 77 bodies a day, but since the Gyeonggi Province residents also rely on it, the facility cannot accommodate all reservation requests from Seoulites.
Koreans usually observe a 3-day funeral rite, meaning the bodies need to be cremated on the third day after death. However, due to a shortage of cremation sites, a growing number of bereaved families are forced to delay cremation by a day.
Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation (SMFMC), the operator of Byeokje Crematorium, said cremation on the fourth day after death made up 16 percent of its operations in 2009, compared to 9 percent in 2008.
From bad to worse
“If the deceased passed away in the afternoon or nighttime, it is difficult to make a reservation and they have to be cremated on the fourth day,” an SMFMC official said.
Seongnam and Suwon Crematoriums, both in Gyeonggi Province, cost around 100,000 won for their residents, but are priced at 1 million won for outsiders. Despite the expense, these crematoriums are popular among Seoulites due to geographical closeness.
Some people go even farther afield ― about 30 percent of bodies burnt at Jeonju Municipal Crematorium in North Jeolla Province are from different parts of the country as are 40 percent of those at Incheon Crematorium.
The provincial government plans to create cemeteries with furnace crematoriums in Bucheon, Yongin and Ansan, but nearby residents are fiercely opposed to the construction.
The Korean Council for Funeral Culture said the shortage of cremation sites will be aggravated in 2012 when major elections including the Presidential and general elections will take place. Politicians won’t want to anger voters in their electorate with plans to build such facilities.
“Koreans tend to change burial sites in an intercalary year and local governments and politicians avoid building crematories during an election year since it is still a facility people are sensitive about and find unfavorable,” Park Tae-ho of the council said. “We expect the shortage of cremation facilities to worsen in the next few years.”
Park and other experts have called on local governments to build more municipal crematoriums.
“In Japan, city governments establish crematories in association with rural areas. There are 1,795 local governments and 1,542 crematories, which means they have about one crematorium per region,” Park said.