Crematorium shortages are a shared failure of central and local governments

Park Tae-ho

The author is a co-representative of the Forum for Funeral and Cremation Culture Studies.

Gyeonggi, home to more than 13 million people, has only four crematoriums. As a result, some residents travel as far as Haenam at the southern tip of South Jeolla in what amounts to “cremation expeditions.” It is hard to comprehend that in a country that promotes K-culture and K-technology to the world, and where the cremation rate stands at about 95 percent, the deceased are left wandering the country in search of a crematorium.

In the past, shortages of cremation services tended to surface mainly during the winter. Recently, however, signs of a crisis have appeared even in midsummer. This suggests that the shortage is no longer a temporary or seasonal phenomenon but a permanent and structural problem. It is also not confined to the capital region, where more than half of the population resides. Shortages in the Seoul metropolitan area spill over into Chungcheong and Gangwon and even reach Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces.

One major cause of the nationwide cremation crisis is the lack of facilities in northern Gyeonggi. To address this, six local governments in the region, including Yangju, have jointly pursued the construction of a crematorium in Bangseong-ri, Baekseok-eup, Yangju. When Yangju requested a fiscal investment review from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety earlier this year, the ministry convened its central investment review committee in October. Citing opposition from residents of nearby new towns such as Okjeong and Hoecheon, the committee decided to send the project back for reconsideration. 

The decision has put the original timetable — breaking ground in 2027 and opening in 2030 — at risk, as additional steps such as forming a conflict mediation council, as instructed by Gyeonggi, are now required. At a time when all parties should be working together to resolve an urgent problem, the project has instead been stalled. It is baffling.

The Yangju crematorium process has been riddled with puzzling developments, pointing to serious flaws in the policy decision-making system. Among the six local governments, shortcomings include insufficient consensus building and a lack of research on cremation culture. With no prior experience in constructing or operating a crematorium, their inexperience has been evident. Yet, there has been little visible effort by Gyeonggi or the central government to compensate for these weaknesses.

Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon has emphasized communication with residents but has effectively allowed time to slip away. The Funeral Services Act explicitly assigns mayors and governors the responsibility to install cremation facilities. Ignoring this obligation would be irresponsible. One would like to believe that this is not the case. But if hesitation stems from political calculations, it deserves criticism. The Ministry of Health and Welfare is the top central authority for cremation policy and has a duty to support local governments. Instead, frequent staff rotations mean officials in charge are little more than passersby. Even if it is difficult to expect deep expertise or proactive administration, the ministry should at least fulfill its statutory responsibilities.

Article 4 of the Enforcement Decree of the Funeral Services Act stipulates that standards for cremation facilities required of local governments shall be set by the health minister through official notice, based on regional population, number of deaths and cremation demand. Yet, despite this clear provision, the ministry has failed to issue such a notice even once over the past 15 years. While supply and demand plans for funeral facilities are mentioned in broad terms, responsibility is diluted through informal directives rather than clear, binding standards. It is hardly surprising that such guidance carries little weight with local governments.

An official at the Interior Ministry who oversaw the fiscal review for the Yangju project reportedly asked, “Is this really a necessary project?” Given that cremation shortages are hardly a new issue, the question suggests a startling lack of awareness. The ministry is tasked with ensuring that local administration functions properly. To appear oblivious despite extensive media coverage of the cremation crisis is troubling. Finding that officials at the responsible ministry share a similar attitude only deepens the concern.

In the early 2000s, the Board of Audit and Inspection once audited cremation services. At the time, only about 30 percent of deaths resulted in cremation, and government policy was riddled with gaps. As the cremation rate steadily rose, central government subsidies to local governments at one point exceeded 100 billion won ($67 million) and still amount to tens of billions of won annually. Yet, over the past two decades, there has been little indication of a thorough follow-up audit.

Posthumous welfare is an important public policy issue. Despite this, it has failed to command sufficient attention from central government agencies or the political sphere. Resolving the crematorium shortage is an urgent livelihood issue that directly alleviates public suffering. A swift solution requires renewed awareness and concerted effort from the government, local authorities and the political leaders responsible for ensuring dignity after death.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.