Nowon-gu, the Only Autonomous District in Seoul Providing 300,000 KRW Funeral Vehicle Support for Low-Income Residents

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is the only district in Seoul that supports funeral vehicle fees up to 300,000 KRW for low-income vulnerable residents.

This funeral vehicle subsidy is an additional support for funeral vehicle costs provided to bereaved families who receive existing funeral benefits, and it can also be applied for in cases where there are no actual bereaved families to hold the funeral, such as solitary deaths and unclaimed bodies.

To receive the subsidy, the bereaved family, funeral hall, or community organization responsible for the funeral must submit an application form and related documents to the local community service center within one month from the date of death, and the subsidy will be paid within 15 days after application.

Nowon-gu’s support for funeral vehicle costs began to alleviate the difficulties faced by low-income residents due to the service gap caused by the abolition of the Korean Red Cross’s free funeral vehicle support program in 2016.

From 2019, with a budget of about 270 million KRW over two years, the district supported funerals for about 900 low-income residents and cooperated with Seoul’s funeral service ‘Grida’ to help commemorate the deceased and assist with the funeral process.

This year, a budget of 158 million KRW, increased by 15.5 million KRW from the previous year, has been allocated to support the ‘final send-off’ service for more low-income deceased individuals.

Nowon-gu’s funeral support is meaningful in that it addresses issues of unclaimed deaths and solitary deaths caused by family breakdown and the increase of single-person households at the community level, fulfilling the local government’s responsibility and duty regarding poverty issues that follow until the moment of death.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “I hope the funeral service can provide some comfort and help to those who have faced lonely deaths and residents struggling with family funerals,” adding, “We will do our best to provide at least funeral support and fulfill our social responsibilities to ensure the dignity of the deceased is maintained.”

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