Korean Studies Advancement Center... From the Era of Sansong to the Era of Memorial Altars

History of Grave Site Disputes in Joseon
In an Era with a 93% Cremation Rate, the Issue Becomes One of Memory and Tradition

Ancestral gravesites have long been regarded as places that descendants must uphold with reverence. During the Joseon Dynasty, it was considered a fundamental duty to tend to the graves as often as one would care for living parents, and to perform grass-cutting and ancestral rites during Hansik and Chuseok.

Goseong Lee Pil and Lee Jungchan Sansong documents (donated materials from the Goseong Lee Tapdong ancestral home), Gangneung Yoo Byeongho Sansong documents (donated materials from the Gangneung Yoo Beolbang ancestral home), the head descendant standing in front of the memorial altar of the Jinseong Joochon ancestral home

In a society where Confucian culture permeated every aspect of life, the status of a family was closely tied to its ancestral graves, which sometimes led to fierce disputes.

◆ Sansong: One of the Three Major Lawsuits of the Joseon Dynasty

According to the Korean Studies Advancement Center, one of the most prominent disputes during the Joseon era was the ‘Sansong’-lawsuits over burial sites. The center currently holds about 1,000 documents related to burial site lawsuits, which are recorded as one of the three major civil lawsuits of the time, alongside lawsuits over slaves and farmland.

In 1881, the Goseong Lee clan in Andong submitted a petition signed by more than 50 members to the local authorities, claiming that someone had secretly buried a body in their ancestral grave site. When the investigation confirmed the illegal burial, the authorities immediately ordered the body to be exhumed.

In 1890, in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, a man named Yoon and his son buried a body in another family’s grave site and then used violence when confronted by the family. The authorities stated, “Despite illegally burying a body in another’s land, they assaulted the rightful owners,” and ordered the body to be relocated. Such burial site disputes were major conflicts that shook both family honor and social order.

◆ The Establishment of Cremation Culture and the Disappearance of Gravesites

Today, the situation is dramatically different. According to Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics, the cremation rate in 2023 reached 92.9%, signaling the end of the era when burial was the standard practice for funerals. With alternatives such as columbaria and tree burials rapidly increasing, traditional gravesites are gradually disappearing.

The Jinseong Lee Juchon clan in Andong, facing difficulties in maintaining dozens of graves due to the aging of clan members, established a memorial altar behind their ancestral home, gathering 52 gravestones in one place. They now hold a joint ancestral rite every October on the lunar calendar, and only perform grass-cutting up to the great-grandparents’ graves, omitting the rest. The head descendant stated, “We believe it is natural to return the gravesites to nature and honor the spirits of our ancestors at the altar.”

◆ “Burial Site Lawsuits Have Disappeared, but the Records Remain”

An official from the Korean Studies Advancement Center said, “As seen in the film ‘Exhuma,’ burial site lawsuits during the Joseon Dynasty were so significant that even the king would intervene. However, as cremation rates have risen, such disputes have naturally disappeared. The documents related to burial site lawsuits are valuable historical records that reveal the now-vanished burial culture and the perceptions of that era.”

The fierce disputes over ancestral gravesites were a shadow cast by the times. Today, however, descendants stand before memorial altars to honor their ancestors, returning the graves to nature. This is not merely a change in burial practices, but a reflection of how the ways and values by which communities honor their ancestors have fundamentally shifted.

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