Seoul~Yangju Expressway Gwangbaek Reservoir Lower Smart IC Opening, 890,000㎡ Scale Completion Scheduled for 2029... Cremation, Funeral, Enshrinement, Burial
Mayor Kang Su-hyun: "Planning to Create a Premium Memorial Park Popular with Families"
Yang Su-hyun, Mayor of Yangju City, is explaining about the 'Yangju City Joint Comprehensive Funeral Facility' at the Gyeonggi Textile Comprehensive Support Center Convention Hall on the 10th. Construction of the ‘Yangju City Joint Comprehensive Funeral Facility,’ to be jointly used by residents of six local governments in the northern Gyeonggi region, is set to be actively promoted. The local governments involved in the joint comprehensive funeral facility, the only funeral facility in northern Gyeonggi including Yangju City, have decided to request increased national subsidies.
On the 10th, Yangju City, Namyangju City, Uijeongbu City, Guri City, Pocheon City, and Dongducheon City, which are jointly promoting the ‘Yangju City Joint Comprehensive Funeral Facility,’ gathered at the Gyeonggi Textile Comprehensive Support Center Convention Hall for a joint proposal and press conference.
Attendees included Kang Su-hyun, Mayor of Yangju City; Baek Young-hyun, Mayor of Pocheon City; Park Hyung-deok, Mayor of Dongducheon City; Park Seong-nam, Deputy Mayor of Uijeongbu; Hong Ji-seon, Deputy Mayor of Namyangju; and Kim Cheon-bok, Director of Safety and Urban Affairs of Guri City.
At the event, Kang Su-hyun, Mayor of Yangju City, gave a direct briefing on the construction project, explaining, “It will be developed not just as a simple funeral facility but as a premium memorial park frequently visited by families.”
In the joint proposal, the six cities requested central government ministries such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as well as Gyeonggi Province, to open a smart IC under the Gwangbaek Reservoir on the Seoul-Yangju Expressway, expand national subsidies, simplify preliminary administrative procedures, and increase standard personnel to secure dedicated staff. They also asked their respective members of the National Assembly and city councils for full support and cooperation.
Additionally, they requested the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to adjust the standard unit prices for special grants to 479 million KRW per cremation furnace, 1.5 million KRW per square meter for crematoriums (columbariums), and 100,000 KRW per square meter for natural burial grounds. They also proposed simplifying preliminary administrative procedures by excluding B/C analysis during feasibility studies, considering the project as an essential and public interest project.
The joint comprehensive funeral facility is scheduled to begin construction in 2026 and be completed by 2029. The facility, planned to be built on Mountain 75 in Bangseong-ri, Baekseok-eup, will involve a total project cost of 209.2 billion KRW, including 24.5 billion KRW in national and provincial subsidies. It will include six funeral halls, 12 cremation furnaces, 20,000 columbarium niches, 20,000 natural burial plots such as arboretums, an outdoor performance hall, a pet playground, a forest bathing area, a children's forest experience center, and parking lots.
The project site will create spaces for the living to rest and for the deceased to find peace, with separate zones to ensure that visitors coming for different reasons do not feel uncomfortable emotionally.
Residents of six local governments in the northern Gyeonggi region are taking a commemorative photo holding a joint petition for the construction of the 'Yangju City Joint-type Comprehensive Funeral Facility' to be used collectively. The working-level consultative body of the six cities has been discussing a joint investment agreement focusing on cost-sharing since April, ultimately agreeing to equally share 10% of the project cost and allocate the remaining 90% based on each city’s population ratio.
The comprehensive funeral facility jointly promoted by these six local governments is planned to be developed on an 890,000㎡ site at Mountain 75, Bangseong-ri, Baekseok-eup, Yangju City. The total project cost is approximately 209.2 billion KRW. The six cities will share about 184.7 billion KRW, with the remaining 24.5 billion KRW funded by national and provincial governments.
Yangju City will be responsible for the construction costs of the funeral halls, while the participating local governments will share the project costs excluding national and provincial subsidies.
The 184.7 billion KRW cost-sharing is divided by population ratio as follows: Yangju City 31.1 billion KRW (14.2%), Namyangju City 65.8 billion KRW (38.9%), Uijeongbu City 42.8 billion KRW (24.7%), Guri City 19.0 billion KRW (9.9%), Dongducheon City 10.6 billion KRW (4.7%), and Pocheon City 15.3 billion KRW (7.6%).
Once the agreement is approved by each city council, the investment agreement will be signed by the end of next month, and the cost-sharing payments will be made sequentially from next year through 2030.
The construction project is currently undergoing a feasibility study (LIMAC) by the Korea Institute of Local Administration. Soon, urban management planning and architectural planning services will be commissioned, with construction scheduled to start in 2026 and completion targeted for 2029.
Kang Su-hyun, Mayor of Yangju City, stated, “We will do our best to ensure sufficient compensation for the villages and residents who wished to host the facility and sacrificed for it, as well as to serve as a catalyst for the development of the western region of Yangju City.”
Meanwhile, the six local governments in northern Gyeonggi are home to approximately 1.88 million residents. Last year alone, 12,745 people died. Although the regional average cremation rate has recently approached 95%, the three public funeral facilities have been insufficient to meet funeral demand. As a result, there have been numerous cases of people traveling to other regions such as Gangwon Province for funerals.
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