Out-of-district fees run about 10 times higher than local rates, adding to bereaved families' burden
National subsidy rate for cremation facility construction frozen since 2008
As many as 85 local governments across South Korea have no cremation facility within their boundaries, and the number of cases in which bereaved families must travel to another district has approached 90,000, according to a new report. Cremation has become the dominant form of burial in the country, but facility expansion has failed to keep pace with demand.
The National Assembly Research Service's "2026 National Audit Issue Analysis," released Sunday, found that 85 local governments nationwide lack a cremation facility within their jurisdiction. The service recorded 89,882 out-of-district cremation cases, meaning tens of thousands of grieving families are forced to travel outside their home district to use facilities elsewhere.
Demand for cremation has risen steadily. The total number of cremations nationwide last year reached 349,419, up 25.7 percent from 278,069 in 2020. The cremation rate for the first three months of this year stood at 94.9 percent. The research service projected that annual cremation demand will reach 390,000 by 2030.
The shortage of facilities is most acute in the greater Seoul area. The number of cremations in the metropolitan area grew from 107,903 in 2020 to 137,597 last year, yet the number of facilities increased only from six to seven over the same period — a figure that has not changed since 2021. Last year, each facility in the metropolitan area handled 19,657 cremations on average, roughly five times the 3,851 recorded per facility outside the region.
Out-of-district cremation also imposes a heavy financial burden. Fees for using a facility outside one's home district run about 10 times higher than local rates, according to the research service. Families who cannot secure a reservation at a nearby facility must not only pay the higher fee but also rearrange their funeral schedules.
The government subsidy standard for building new or expanded cremation facilities has remained unchanged for nearly two decades. The Ministry of Health and Welfare's national subsidy rate for cremation facility construction and expansion stands at 1.5 million won ($1,100) per square meter, frozen since 2008. The research service said the rate should be updated to reflect rising labor and construction costs, and called for stronger incentives for neighboring local governments to jointly build and operate cremation facilities.
fact0514@heraldcorp.com
