For the second year, former President Jeon Du-hwan's remains at home will be buried in Paju, facing North Korea, as per his will

Scheduled for Anjang in Jangsan-ri, Paju, Gyeonggi
Private land burial site purchase in progress

The remains of the late former President Jeon Du-hwan, who will mark the second anniversary of his death on the 23rd, are expected to be buried in Jangsan-ri, Munsan-eup, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), according to his will.

On the 16th, Yonhap News reported, citing sources in the political circle, that the remains of former President Jeon, which have been temporarily kept in an urn at his residence in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul for about two years, are scheduled to be buried on private land in Jangsan-ri. According to the source, the burial site is private land, not a military base, located on a hill about 100 meters high, from where one can see far into North Korean territory such as Kaesong.

In his memoirs, former President Jeon left a de facto will stating, "I want to remain as bones on a forward hill overlooking the northern land and greet the day of reunification." Accordingly, his family expressed their intention to cremate his remains and bury them near the DMZ in accordance with his wishes.

On November 27, 2021, the remains of the late former President Jeon Du-hwan arrived at his residence in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul for temporary enshrinement.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Former President Jeon's wife, Lee Soon-ja, also conveyed his will directly at the 2021 funeral, saying, "My husband always said that when he dies, the funeral should be simple and no grave should be made," and "He also said to scatter his ashes in a place where the northern land can be seen."

However, most forward hills are military bases, and areas outside military units are mostly mined, so it is reported that the former president’s side had difficulties finding a burial site. Nevertheless, they plan to place the urn in the burial site rather than scattering the ashes as per his will. Also, since the purchase of the burial site is still in a provisional contract state and coordination with surrounding construction and authorities is needed, it is practically difficult for the burial to take place on the 23rd, the second anniversary.

Former President Jeon lost consciousness and collapsed at his home in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on November 23, 2021, and died at the age of 90. At that time, the funeral was held as a family funeral, not a state funeral. Since he was convicted and sentenced for crimes such as rebellion, he cannot be buried in a national cemetery.