[2021 Report on the Unclaimed Dead] "I Want to Reduce Even One Unclaimed Person" - Guardian of Jjokbangchon in Jungnim-dong

15 Years of Support Activities in Jjokbangchon, Jungnim-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul
"The Process of Receiving Unclaimed Bodies Is Complicated
Even Institution Staff Say It's 'Troublesome'
It's Human Nature to Bury a Beloved Cat When It Dies
I Want to Comfort Them with Their Last Wishes"

Kim Jumi, Director of Hansarang Family Community, is taking a photo in front of the Hansarang Family Community office in Jungnim-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Special Coverage Team = Team Leader Ko Hyung-kwang, Reporters Yoo Byung-don, Jung Dong-hoon, Lee Jung-yoon] "Those who have built a connection with me must never die without kin."

Jumi Kim, director of Hansarang Family Community, has been protecting the jjokbangchon (tiny room village) in Jungnim-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul for 15 years. Her belief is that "no one should be lonely until their final journey." Although there were times when she conducted funerals for 3 to 4 people a month, she does not leave the funerals to institutions as unclaimed bodies but personally oversees them. She obtains a body delegation letter from families who refuse to accept the body and conducts Catholic-style funeral masses.

Hansarang Family Community is a nonprofit organization supporting the jjokbangchon area in Jungnim-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. It was first established in 2007, led by Father Yoon Seok-chan, and has been supporting the jjokbangchon for 15 years. Currently, there are about 150 jjokbang rooms in Jungnim-dong, and around 70 residents are supported by the center. Each person has their own room but lives together in a loosely connected family community. The community office prepares lunch boxes to distribute to jjokbangchon residents and serves as a sarangbang (community room) to escape the heat and cold. Supporting residents' monthly rent and other expenses is also part of the community's role. Jung-gu, Seoul, had the highest number of unclaimed deaths per 100,000 people nationwide, but there were those who risked their lives to prevent unclaimed deaths here.

The process to prevent unclaimed deaths was not easy. About ten years ago, when there was a shortage of funeral expenses for unclaimed bodies, Kim participated in the washing and dressing of the deceased herself. Recently, local governments such as Seoul City have simplified paperwork and significantly increased support funds by designating ordinances for unclaimed funerals. Kim said, "Police or community centers say that handling unclaimed bodies simplifies the funeral process, but preventing unclaimed deaths involves complicated procedures." She added, "We find families, obtain body delegation letters to conduct funerals on their behalf, report to the community center, take custody of the body, and proceed with the funeral. Some institution staff have scolded me, asking why I bother with such trouble."

Kim Jumi, Director of Hansarang Family Community, is taking a photo in front of the Hansarang Family Community office in Jungnim-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul.

Residents who lived together in the jjokbangchon visit the funerals together, sprinkle holy water, and see off the deceased. Kim said, "It is human nature to bury even a cat that dies around us," and added, "I want to comfort the final moments of those who shared hardships and joys with us from the heart, so I do not conduct funerals as unclaimed bodies."

Most people gathering in the jjokbangchon are homeless or driven to extreme poverty. Most have severed family and social ties. Kim said, "Most of the people here are sick and weakened, unable to work," and asked, "If society does not care for them, who else can help?" Most families of unclaimed deceased in the jjokbangchon do not attend the funerals. Unclaimed bodies are lonely death victims but were sometimes abusers or "people hard to forgive" to someone. Kim said, "It is true that forgiveness is harder than love," but added, "Those gathered here are people who started off on the wrong foot. Some were abused in childhood or grew up in broken families, going in and out of juvenile detention centers or prisons. But can we blame them entirely for the results?" She said, "I hope to reduce even one unclaimed body among the people I have met."

※ This article was produced with government advertising fees supported by the Korea Press Foundation.