2010.01.29
By Lee Ji-yoon
Following a long Confucian tradition, Koreans usually carry out funeral services for three days. However, recently some people are forced to hold a four-day funeral, even though even numbers are avoided here when it comes to family events.
As more Koreans are choosing cremation over burial, the lack of cremation facilities has become a nationwide problem these days. And the shortage in the capital area is most serious.
Bereaved families find it difficult to make reservations for crematoriums. Some are turning to cremation centers in other distant regions or opting for four-day funerals.
"I have long warned central and local governments of such a situation. However, no meaningful efforts have been made," said Park Tae-ho, director of the Korean Association for Funeral Culture Reform.
Established in 1998, the group has led a national campaign promoting cremation over burial.
"Now I rather feel sorry to have contributed to the surge in the cremation rate."
According to the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, the nation's cremation rate for 2008 marked 61.9 percent, up from 27.5 percent 10 years ago.
The rates in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province are hovering above the average with 72.2 percent and 69.2 percent, respectively.
While half the population is residing there, only four crematoriums - out of the total 50 across the nation - are covering the areas.
The Byeokjae Cremation Center, located in Gyeonggi Province, is the nation's largest crematorium run by the Seoul city government. Even though the center cremates an average 87 bodies per day throughout the year, its services are always fully booked.
According to the Seoul Facilities Management Corporation, the proportion of families who held four-day funerals at the crematorium increased to 15.5 percent last year, up from 9.6 percent in 2008.
In April last year, the Gyeonggi police booked two part-time workers and two senior officials at a local funeral agency on charges of interfering with business operations at the Byeokjae crematorium.
By abusing the system that allows anyone with a citizen registration number to make a reservation, they allegedly repeated making and canceling fake reservations. They also asked for premiums to sell a secured cremation time, the police said.
"As the demands in the capital areas are moving toward other neighboring areas, complaints are also growing among the residents there. Because extra costs are added to use a crematorium in other regions, people's suffering is worsened," Park said.
In order to ease the complaints, a new crematorium is to be completed in southern Seoul by 2012. Even though the construction site was determined back in 2001, the groundbreaking work couldn't start until last December due to fierce opposition from the residents.
Along with the construction, the Health Ministry also plans to launch an online reservation system for gravesites and crematoriums within the first half of this year. The system would offer detailed information on distance, costs and facilities, as well as preventing some agencies from sweeping reservations.
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