The Gwangju Metropolitan City Seo-gu Council has established a basis for public funeral support for individuals whose bodies are refused for retrieval or whose relatives to conduct the funeral cannot be identified.
The "Ordinance on Public Funeral Support for Unclaimed Deceased Persons, etc.," fully amended and proposed by Seo-gu Councilor Yoon Jeong-min as the main sponsor, passed the Social and Urban Committee review on the 10th.
Public funerals are policies in which the government and local governments provide funeral support for people who have difficulty holding funerals due to low income or lack of relatives. Unclaimed deceased persons refer to domestic or foreign nationals who have no relatives or whose relatives are unknown, as well as those whose relatives refuse or avoid retrieving the body. Recently, due to factors such as "isolated households," "family disintegration," and "social and economic difficulties," the number of "lonely deaths" and "unclaimed deceased persons" has increased, making public funerals an important policy.
With this ordinance amendment, funeral support can be provided for unclaimed deceased persons who died within the jurisdiction regardless of their registered address, in accordance with the "Act on Funeral Services, etc." Also, among the public funeral support recipients, individuals can apply for support in advance, and people who have maintained continuous friendly relations or participated in solidarity activities with the deceased can apply on their behalf.
Councilor Yoon said, "Funerals are the last care in a lifetime and an important ritual that helps the deceased rest in peace while mitigating the shock for those around and realizing the communal value of mutual aid. Through this ordinance amendment, I hope that public funerals can be carried out more smoothly for those who need funeral support."
Shin Dong-ho, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy bless4ya@asiae.co.kr
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
