Ministry of Health and Welfare "Active Support for Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families"... Extended Operating Hours for Metropolitan Area Cremation Facilities Until the 5th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byun Seon-jin] The Ministry of Health and Welfare's Itaewon Accident Response Headquarters announced on the 1st that it will extend the operating hours of cremation facilities in the metropolitan area until the 5th to increase the number of cremations, ensuring that the bereaved families of the Itaewon disaster victims face no difficulties in funeral procedures.

Additionally, the Ministry explained that 50% of the total cremation slots will be allocated to the Itaewon accident victims, and support is being provided for reservations at cremation facilities. The Ministry has also requested cooperation from local governments in nearby areas such as Wonju and Chuncheon to allow cremations to be conducted there with the consent of the bereaved families.

The Ministry stated that one Ministry official is dispatched to each funeral facility where the deceased are placed, and local government officials are assigned on a one-to-one basis to the deceased to provide psychological support to the bereaved families.

Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare and the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters as well as Head of the Ministry’s Itaewon Accident Response Headquarters, visited Seoul Memorial Park in the afternoon to inspect the status of funerals for the Itaewon accident victims. The memorial park officials explained to Minister Cho that they are expanding general cremation availability to ensure no disruptions in funeral proceedings and are operating so that cremations occur on dates desired by the bereaved families.

Minister Cho said, "We will continuously monitor the progress of funerals to ensure no inconvenience on the final journey of the deceased and actively support the bereaved families. Although the staff on site are working hard, I hope they will continue to put forth strong efforts in managing the operation of cremation facilities to prevent any difficulties for the bereaved families."

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