Friday, November 04, 2011

Burial or Cremation?

Dear Korean,

Would there be any shame associated with cremating a loved one rather than burying him/her?

White Schoolteacher


Traditionally, Korean people preferred to bury their dead. Traditional funeral in Korea is a big affair, requiring many people dressed up in hemp clothes carrying a lavishly decorated casket, to the family burial ground where the entire family is to be buried. Below is a re-creation of a traditional Korean funeral. The Korean Grandfather's funeral looked like this, because he is from a traditional family.


But all that changed significantly in the last 20 years or so. As traditional family structure weakened, the younger generation decided that it was easier to tend a crypt than a burial plot with grass and a tombstone. Also, the government encouraged cremation and in some cases even provided a subsidy for cremation, as it was concerned about the family burial plots taking up too much land. The result is a dramatic increase in cremation -- from 17.8% of all burials in 1991 to 67.5% in 2010. In particular, overwhelming majority of city folks preferred cremation, compared to rural residents.

So at this point, it's safe to say that there is no shame associated with cremation.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

9 comments:

  1. I don't like to base shame on whether the majority believes that something that was unacceptable is now acceptable.

    Then, again, I still have strong connections with the the rustic part of Korea.

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  2. i don't know about shame, but i definitely think there's prestige that comes with a burial mound since only the rich can afford them (for a burial, you'd need to own a burial site, pay someone to keep it groomed and manicured, make homages to that burial ground during big holidays.. etc etc)

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  3. I attended both my grandfathers' funerals in Korea. The two families are about equal in terms of prestige and financial standing. One was cremated and the other buried; I think the only difference was that one had already bought a family burial plot back in the 1980s before land prices became crazy.

    Nor to my knowledge is there any strong religious component to it. When I was at the crematorium, my Protestant family was flanked by a Catholic family and Buddhist family.

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  4. Actually, the "acrobatic" parts are only included to show what a funeral procession would do if it ran up against a narrow bridge, for example. Those parts are not required; they are only shown as an example.

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  5. My father was cremated in Korea. As an American it was the most traumatizing experience ever. It is nothing like American funerals.

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  6. A crypt is a chamber below a church meant for coffins or relics. While ashes can be kept in a crypt, cremated remains are almost always housed in a columbarium, a vault meant specifically for the storage of said remains.

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  7. This was very informative, my Aunt passed away a few years ago & she was Korean. My uncle ended up having a cremation ceremony in Chicago Heights because of the cost associated with the traditional funeral. He now keeps her ashes in their home.

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  8. It is interesting how different cultures prefer different methods of burial. I haven't ever really considered cremation. Is it common for Korean's to have cremations instead of burial?
    http://affordableburialandcremation.ca/Cremation/tabid/4560/Default.aspx

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  9. Rachel, it sounds like from this article that it used to be more common for Koreans to do lavish burials and funerals and only somewhat recently moved to cremation. It does save a lot of space and there are a few things you can do now with a loved one's ashes to create a keepsake. I've been considering cremation for myself because it is cheaper than a traditional burial. http://www.leofkearns.com/Cremation_Services_936692.html

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