Imsil Residents to Use Namwon City Crematorium Starting January Next Year

From January 1 next year, residents of Imsil County will be able to use Namwon City’s Seunghwawon with the same qualifications as Namwon citizens.

According to the county on the 19th, following the agreement between Namwon City Hall and Seunghwawon for metropolitan-wide use, starting next year, Imsil residents will be able to use Namwon City’s Seunghwawon on equal terms with Namwon citizens.

Residents of Imsil County will be able to use the Namwon City Crematorium on equal terms with Namwon citizens starting January 1 next year.
[Photo by Imsil County]

Through the agreement, the two local governments agreed that Imsil County will partially bear the costs of constructing and maintaining the cremation facilities at Namwon City’s Seunghwawon, in exchange for allowing Imsil residents to use the Seunghwawon under the same conditions as Namwon citizens.

Accordingly, from January next year, Imsil residents will be able to use the facility in the morning and afternoon with a reservation made three days in advance and a usage fee of 60,000 won.

Until now, Imsil residents faced significant economic burdens and inconvenience, as they had to pay a usage fee of 500,000 won and make a reservation one day in advance.

However, through the agreement with Namwon City, these burdens and inconveniences have been greatly reduced.

In fact, while installing a crematorium is necessary for the convenience of county residents, there have been considerable practical difficulties due to avoidance of installation within the region, challenges in site selection, and low profitability compared to project costs.

Amid this, Imsil County, Namwon City, and Sunchang County have agreed to jointly use a new crematorium to promote mutual regional development and enhance residents’ benefits.

The joint use of Namwon City’s Seunghwawon is regarded as an advanced and successful case where local governments actively addressed residents’ difficulties through shared responsibility.

Namwon City’s Seunghwawon, built in 1986, underwent modernization to improve funeral convenience for users who had experienced discomfort due to aging facilities.

The facility, operated directly by Namwon City, consists of a crematorium (1,942㎡), a columbarium (1,236㎡), and a memorial park (9,930㎡).

Imsil County and Namwon City have formed a working council to implement the agreement, bearing costs for the new construction, modernization, and maintenance of the cremation facilities, and will actively cooperate to ensure efficient land use and prevent financial burdens and budget waste for local governments.

County Governor Shim Min said, “From January next year, Imsil residents will be able to conveniently use the modernized cremation facilities with the same qualifications as Namwon citizens, enabling a dignified and refined funeral culture.” He added, “We will continue to focus on various win-win development policies for our residents.”

Imsil = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Nosik baekok@asiae.co.kr

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