Gwangju City Re-announces Public Recruitment for Comprehensive Funeral Facility Installation Sites

Gwangju City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Bang Se-hwan) announced on the 14th that it will publicly recruit candidate sites for the construction of a comprehensive funeral facility until January 2, 2025.

Gyeonggi Gwangju City Hall view. Provided by Gyeonggi Gwangju City

Previously, Gwangju City conducted a public recruitment for candidate sites for the installation of a comprehensive funeral facility from August 12 to November 11, during which three villages applied. However, due to a resident consent rate below 60% and incomplete related documents, no qualified applicants were found, leading to a decision to reannounce the public recruitment after discussions.

Villages wishing to host the facility must submit an application form along with consent from more than 60% of the total household heads registered in the resident registration to the Senior and Disabled Support Team of the Gwangju City Hall. Additionally, upon request from participating villages, resident briefings to aid understanding and benchmarking visits to excellent funeral facilities will be conducted.

To minimize resident damage resulting from hosting the comprehensive funeral facility, Gwangju City will distribute a total of 10 billion KRW in resident incentives through resident support projects divided into three zones. The hosting area (administrative ri/tong where the facility is installed) will be granted fund support projects within 3 billion KRW, as well as operating rights for profit facilities such as cafes, restaurants, and stores, along with benefits including priority employment for workers within the facility and exemption from comprehensive funeral facility usage fees.

A Gwangju City official stated, “Candidate sites will be comprehensively evaluated based on social, geographical, and economic factors, and the construction site will be finalized in January 2025 after document and on-site reviews by the Gwangju City Comprehensive Funeral Facility Construction Promotion Committee.”

Meanwhile, the city has been promoting the project aiming to open a comprehensive funeral facility by 2029, with a site area of 50,000㎡ to 100,000㎡, equipped with at least five cremators, enshrinement facilities, natural burial grounds, and funeral halls. To reduce project and operating costs, a business agreement was signed with Hanam City.