Seoul Facilities Corporation to Open 330 Unclaimed Graves at Yongmiri 1 Cemetery in November

Exhumation of Long-Neglected Unmarked Graves and Cemetery Environment Maintenance at Municipal Cemetery

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Facilities Corporation announced on the 20th that it will begin the exhumation of unclaimed graves at Yongmiri 1 Cemetery starting in November. The project involves 330 graves.

“Unclaimed graves” refer to graves without relatives or those that have not been visited or maintained for a long time. As the number of neglected graves in Seoul’s municipal cemeteries operated by the city is increasing, the city plans to improve the cemetery environment through the exhumation of these unclaimed graves.

The exhumation of unclaimed graves will be conducted in accordance with the “Act on Funeral Services, etc.” After two rounds of notification and a public announcement, if no relatives come forward, the graves will be exhumed, cremated, and the ashes will be enshrined for five years in the unclaimed joint ossuary at Yongmiri 2 Cemetery. After the enshrinement period ends, the ashes will be scattered.

The first public announcement for reporting and exhumation of unclaimed graves was made on August 3, and the second announcement is scheduled for mid-September. Relatives of the graves should check the graves subject to exhumation and, if they wish to reuse the graves, must report the reuse by October 28, 2021.

Since 2019, the corporation has been conducting a comprehensive survey of municipal cemeteries operated by Seoul City and promoted the exhumation of 87 unclaimed graves last year. This year, 330 graves at Yongmiri 1 Cemetery are targeted. As the number of neglected graves without relatives is gradually increasing at municipal cemeteries such as Yongmiri Cemetery, the corporation plans to continue conducting surveys and maintain the cemetery environment.

The corporation urges families or relatives who have graves at Yongmiri Cemetery to check the public notices to see if their graves are subject to exhumation. For more detailed information, please visit the Seoul Municipal Crematorium website or contact them by phone.

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