Two Sets of Remains Mixed at Crematorium... Bereaved Families in Anguish

Mixed Ashes Due to Staff Error at Incheon Seunghwawon

An incident occurred at a municipal crematorium located in Incheon where the ashes of two deceased individuals were mistakenly mixed into one container due to an employee's error.

Incheon Municipal Crematorium exterior view.
[Photo by Incheon Facilities Corporation website]

On the 15th, the Incheon Facilities Corporation announced that on the 22nd of last month, at Seunghwawon, a municipal crematorium within Incheon Family Park in Bupyeong-gu, it was confirmed that the ashes of two unrelated deceased individuals were mixed together in a single urn. It was determined that an employee working at the crematorium added the ashes of a second deceased person into the bone pulverizer, which already contained the ashes of one individual, resulting in the mixing of the ashes.

The bereaved families did not receive the urns at the scheduled time that day, and when the crematorium staff failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the delay, they became suspicious and reviewed the closed-circuit television (CCTV), through which they discovered the incident. The families of the two deceased are currently considering filing a lawsuit against the Incheon Facilities Corporation seeking damages for this incident.

The Incheon Facilities Corporation stated that they arbitrarily divided the mixed ashes of the two deceased into two urns. Currently, these urns are interred in a tree burial site located behind the crematorium. A representative of the Incheon Facilities Corporation said, "The responsible employee should have separated the ashes after pulverizing them but made a mistake," adding, "We are conducting an audit on the employee and will take measures based on the results." They further stated, "We will thoroughly establish preventive measures to ensure that such an incident never happens again."

Previously, in 2014, a similar incident occurred where ashes were mixed due to a crematorium error, causing public outrage. The family had opened six graves belonging to grandparents, parents, and second and third aunts, and entrusted the cremation to the Mokpo Municipal Crematorium. However, the family received only five urns. During the cremation process, the ashes of the mother and the second aunt were mixed, and the crematorium staff swept them into a single urn. The bereaved family expressed their distress, stating, "Due to the absurd mistake of the crematorium staff, we have committed a great disrespect to our mother. It is heartbreaking."