Support for Tree Burial Funerals of Unclaimed Deceased... Korea Forest Service "We Will Protect Their Final Dignity"

Unclaimed Deaths More Than Double in Last 5 Years
"Final Dignity Must Be Preserved," Social Voices
Part of Funeral Welfare, Support for Unclaimed Tree Burial Forests
Priority Start This Month in Daejeon and Chungnam Areas
Forest Service "Will Protect the Deceased's Eternal Rest and Final Dignity"

Support for funerals of unclaimed deceased using arboretum burial forests is being promoted. The purpose of the support is to protect the final dignity of those who passed away alone without any relatives.

The Korea Forest Service announced on the 1st that, together with five organizations including the Community Chest of Korea’s Fruit of Love, it will support funerals for unclaimed deceased using arboretum burial forests starting this month.

Provided by Korea Forest Service

According to the Korea Forest Service, the number of unclaimed deceased increased from 2,008 in 2017 to 4,842 in 2022. It is analyzed that the increase in single-person households and social isolation of those living alone lead to solitary deaths of unclaimed individuals.

Some have highlighted the national responsibility and role in providing funeral support for unclaimed deceased. In this regard, the Korea Forest Service decided to expand welfare for arboretum burial forest funerals to support the final dignity and peaceful rest of unclaimed deceased.

Funerals for unclaimed deceased using arboretum burial forests will be carried out by sharing roles among the Korea Forest Service, Community Chest of Korea’s Fruit of Love, Korea Arboretum Burial Culture Promotion Foundation, Korea Funeral Culture Promotion Institute, National Forest of Memory, and Boryeong Dam Senior Welfare Center, starting this month with a focus on the Daejeon and Chungnam regions.

The maximum number of people eligible for funeral support is around 100. The target includes unclaimed deceased who have no relatives, whose relatives are unknown, or whose relatives refuse or avoid taking responsibility despite being known.

The project holds significance not only in protecting the final dignity of unclaimed deceased but also in allowing participating organizations to practice social responsibility through Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) management.

For funerals of unclaimed deceased using arboretum burial forests, the Korea Arboretum Burial Culture Promotion Foundation will first select candidates in consultation with local governments, the Korea Funeral Culture Promotion Institute will provide memorial buses for the unclaimed deceased, and the Community Chest of Korea’s Fruit of Love will support funeral expenses, proceeding in sequence to enshrine the deceased at the National Forest of Memory.

Kim Young-hyuk, Director of Forest Welfare Policy at the Korea Forest Service, said, “We ask for active cooperation from local governments so that public funeral support can be successfully implemented,” and added, “The Korea Forest Service will take the lead in making arboretum burial forests a pioneer in funeral culture and expanding funeral welfare for socially vulnerable groups through this project.”

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