9 out of 10 Koreans Choose Columbarium after Cremation
Transfer Only Allowed after Certain Period
System Needed to Protect Consumer Rights
Housewife Baek (62) was preparing to relocate her husband's columbarium when she heard an absurd story. She was told that she had to sell the columbarium space she had been using herself. Baek said, “My daughter looked into the procedure for relocating the memorial hall and was told, ‘You can trade it on Junggonara or Danggeun Market,’” adding, “I was so shocked by that that I was left speechless.”
As cremation has become common in funeral culture, demand for columbarium services is increasing, but complaints about the relocation procedures are emerging everywhere. According to the terms and conditions, after a certain period, transfer and assignment are allowed, but the existing contract holder must find a transferee through secondhand transactions themselves. There are calls for legal and institutional improvements to protect consumers' rights.
Most Private Columbariums Allow Only Transfer and Assignment... Hundreds of Secondhand Transaction Posts
On the 14th, searching for columbarium, memorial hall, and ossuary on the secondhand trading platform ‘Junggonara’ yielded 568, 210, and 60 posts respectively. On ‘Danggeun Market,’ dozens of posts selling columbarium spaces were also posted based on Seoul’s Gangnam-gu and Gwanak-gu districts. Most were about transferring the columbarium to a location closer to home or to keep parents together.
The terms and conditions of private columbarium companies do not differ much. A representative of a private columbarium company A in Gyeonggi-do explained, “There are slight differences in each contract, but only transfer and assignment are possible,” adding, “We do not sell the spaces separately; customers have to conduct secondhand transactions personally.”
According to the terms of private columbarium company B in Gyeonggi-do, if the contract holder requests the removal of the ashes, a refund of 30% is given within 5 years, and 20% within 10 years. After 10 years, only transfer and assignment are possible, meaning users have to sell the space themselves.
In the case of private columbarium company C in Seoul, only transfer and assignment are allowed upon relocation. Mr. Lee (32) said, “I signed the contract in a daze after sending off my father,” adding, “I signed thinking about a lifetime, but isn’t it possible that I might have to move it inevitably? I just found out now, and the terms seem unreasonable.”
A post for the sale of a columbarium (bone repository) is listed on a secondhand trading platform. [Photo by each platform capture]
Cremation Rate Exceeds 90%... Urgent Need for System Improvement
More than 9 out of 10 people choose to use columbarium services after cremation. According to the cremation statistics by year from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the cremation rate among total deaths was 71.1% in 2011, 80.8% in 2015, 90.8% in 2021, and 91.7% in 2022. Private columbariums usually have permanent contract periods, with prices ranging from as low as 2 million KRW to over 10 million KRW per space. The management fee is about 50,000 to 100,000 KRW per year.
Previously, in 2014, the Fair Trade Commission ordered 14 columbariums to correct unfair clauses such as no refunds. At that time, the Fair Trade Commission presented the annual refund rates according to the consumer dispute resolution standards for columbarium contract cancellations: ▲75% within 6 months ▲70% over 6 months to 1 year ▲65% over 1 year to 2 years ▲60% over 2 years to 3 years ▲55% over 3 years to 4 years ▲5% over 15 years.
A Fair Trade Commission official said about the secondhand trading situation of columbariums, “Whether a columbarium contract is a sale or a lease will affect issues of early termination and refunds. This needs further examination, and it is necessary to hear the opinions of experts and the industry,” adding, “Consumers should carefully check the contract terms even when they are in a state of shock due to bereavement.”
Ultimately, there are calls for proactive measures before numerous disputes arise. Professor Eunhee Lee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Studies advised, “It seems desirable to induce contracts with the sales and management entities rather than having consumers trade columbarium spaces among themselves,” adding, “Legal and institutional aspects should be specifically organized to prevent disputes that may occur in the future.”
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