Damyang-gun Launches Special Crackdown on Illegal Cemeteries to Eradicate Large-scale Burial Sites

[Damyang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Damyang County in Jeonnam recently announced on the 8th that it has established preventive measures and launched a strong crackdown as family-type and clan-type cemeteries, which gather scattered ancestral graves in one place to alleviate the inconvenience of managing descendants' graves, have been widely flourishing.

So far, the expansion of forest infrastructure and the enhancement of forest recreation functions have steadily led to the creation of hiking trails and forest roads, making it easier for heavy equipment to access mid-mountain slopes.

Through this, large burial grounds have been created, causing indiscriminate forest damage and building retaining walls that increase the risk of landslides during heavy rains and other disasters, damaging the ecological cityscape and worsening public opinion through resident reports.

Accordingly, the county is conducting guidance activities and special crackdowns to eradicate illegal cemeteries through active publicity, such as installing banners declaring strong punishment for illegal cemeteries established throughout the region.

If a cemetery is illegally established without proper procedures, under the Act on Funeral Services, imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won may be imposed, along with orders to relocate the cemetery. If the relocation order is not complied with, a compulsory enforcement fee of 10 million won per year (twice a year, 5 million won each time) will be imposed until the cemetery is relocated.

A county official said, “If a cemetery is illegally established without reporting or permission procedures, it not only damages the local landscape but also causes significant economic losses such as fines and cemetery relocation,” adding, “We will strive to prevent further spread through strong crackdowns and continuous publicity.”

Meanwhile, the county has been working to improve the burial-centered funeral system to a cremation culture and to promote eco-friendly natural burial sites and urn-centered funeral culture since the 3rd term of the civilian administration by creating Gaphyang Park and Oryong Park to preserve beautiful ecological landscapes.