Over 1,800 Urns Flooded at Gwangju Memorial Hall... Bereaved Families in Distress

Thousands Wait Anxiously in Front of Memorial Hall

Bereaved Families Protest, Claiming Issues with Flood Response

Due to continuous rain since the 7th, the basement level 1 of a private memorial hall in Gwangju Metropolitan City was flooded, and family urns are being recovered.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] "I received a message from an acquaintance saying 'The memorial hall was flooded,' so I hurriedly went up to Gwangju and arrived at the memorial hall, but the only answer I got was 'Line up and wait.'"

At around 3:30 p.m. on the 9th, Odonggyu (35, Suncheon-si, Jeonnam) was at a memorial hall in Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, feeling devastated.

Because the nearby roads were blocked, he parked about 1 km away and ran over, causing sweat to pour down like rain, but he had no time to wipe it off as he was busy going around to assess the situation. Mr. Oh had enshrined his father at this memorial hall around this time two years ago. The whole family had visited on his father's memorial day on the 31st of last month.

Mr. Oh expressed his frustration, saying, "The memorial hall was flooded, but the officials did not even send a single message. We have no idea whether my father's urn is intact or if water got inside, yet the officials just tell us to line up and wait. What on earth were they doing during the flooding?"

Jeong Mungap (61) was also pacing anxiously in front of the memorial hall, unable to calm his excitement.

He said his father passed away more than 10 years ago and was enshrined here, and his mother, who passed away six years ago, was also placed next to his father.

Mr. Jeong received a call around 3 a.m. that water had filled the basement first floor of the memorial hall and immediately headed there. Since he arrived early, he was able to check the urns without much waiting. His mother's urn was fine, but his father's urn was full of water.

Mr. Jeong said, "The reason I kept my parents here, paying the management fees diligently, was because I believed they would be well cared for here. Although I temporarily moved the urns to the fifth floor, the memorial hall has not communicated any future plans."

He added, "It is supposed to rain again starting tomorrow. If the flooded urns are left as they are, won't there be problems like insects breeding? Please explain the future plans to the bereaved families as soon as possible."

Bereaved families are gathered in front of a private memorial hall in Gwangju Metropolitan City, which was flooded due to continuous rain since the 7th.

Bae Myungjun (67), who had just retrieved his father-in-law’s urn, described the devastation in the basement first floor. He said many urn lids were open, and some appeared to be broken.

Mr. Bae said, "Some urns must have been filled with muddy water, and some may have been lost. How can the families ever resolve this grief?" and was at a loss for words.

There are about 1,800 urns in the basement first floor of this memorial hall. As of 1 p.m. that day, only about 100 urns had been retrieved.

In response, Gwangju City has decided to proceed with re-cremation after discussions with the memorial hall. It is known that the memorial hall will cover all costs related to damage recovery.

One bereaved family member said, "We don't need explanations from the memorial hall that only consist of lies and excuses," and urged, "We want administrative agencies like Gwangju City or Buk-gu to step in and provide explanations."

Regarding this, a Gwangju City official said, "Currently, Gwangju City, Buk-gu, police, and fire departments are all working together to ensure thorough emergency measures. Buk-gu staff are stationed on-site, providing water, tents, chairs, and all necessary support to safely retrieve all urns."

He continued, "As a follow-up, we are consulting with Yeongnak Park on the procedures and time required for re-cremation and re-enshrinement, and if necessary, we are also considering using the crematorium in Gokseong, Jeonnam. Although there are ordinances supporting recovery from natural disasters, since this memorial hall is a private organization, we are comprehensively reviewing how to handle this."

He added, "We fully understand the feelings of the bereaved families and will prioritize safety, fully reflecting their opinions in the retrieval process and actively taking follow-up measures."

Meanwhile, a national petition calling for an investigation into the memorial hall also appeared, gathering over 13,800 signatures by 5:30 p.m. that day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.