[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Suwon City in Gyeonggi Province will support a 'public funeral' for the three mother-and-daughter family found dead on the 21st in a multi-family house in Gwonseon-gu.
Currently, the bodies of the three mother-and-daughter family are enshrined at Suwon Central Hospital Funeral Hall. Although contact was made with the relatives of the three, they gave up on claiming the bodies, so Suwon City decided to support a public funeral for them.
Accordingly, Suwon City set up a funeral hall at Suwon Central Hospital Funeral Hall on the 24th. After the funeral on the 26th, the bodies will be cremated at Suwon City Yeonhwa Funeral Hall, and the ashes will be enshrined in the columbarium within Yeonhwa Funeral Hall.
A 'public funeral' is a funeral ceremony supported by Suwon City to facilitate the smooth conduct of funerals when an unclaimed deceased person passes away.
Not only unclaimed deceased but also those without family or acquaintances have a funeral hall prepared and a memorial service held so that the public can mourn.
In July last year, the city signed a 'business agreement for public funerals' with the Suwon Christian Association, Suwon Buddhist Association, Catholic Diocese of Suwon, and Won Buddhism Gyeongin Diocese, supporting funerals for unclaimed deceased and those whose relatives refuse or avoid claiming the bodies, making it impossible to hold funerals.
The city provides administrative and financial support to ensure the smooth conduct of 'public funerals,' and the four major religious organizations solemnly and dignifiedly conduct memorial services for unclaimed deceased.
If the deceased's religion is confirmed, the respective religion leads the memorial service, and for those whose religion is unknown, the designated religion for each quarter conducts the memorial service. The memorial service for the three mother-and-daughter family will be held at 2 p.m. on the 25th by the Won Buddhism Gyeongin Diocese.
The public funeral support targets citizens registered in Suwon City who died within the jurisdiction and cases recognized by the mayor as needing public funeral support.
Although the three mother-and-daughter family had their registered address in Hwaseong City, Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun recognized the need for public funeral support, so the public funeral will be held in Suwon City.
The city supports all costs related to body handling, including enshrinement fees, embalming fees, shrouds, coffins, as well as funeral hall usage fees, ancestral rites table setup, memorial tablets, incense, candles, chrysanthemums, and other necessary funeral expenses.
A city official said, "The three mother-and-daughter family, who passed away after severe hardship, were in a welfare blind spot due to the difference between their registered address and actual residence," adding, "We hope the public funeral will offer some comfort to the dearly departed who left this world sadly."
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