Ministry of Unification: "North Korea Did Not Respond to Body Repatriation... Funeral to Be Held Respectfully as Unclaimed"

No Response by 3:00 p.m.
Cremation May Take Place as Early as the 6th

North Korea did not respond to the South Korean government's notice regarding the repatriation of the body of a North Korean resident found in the West Sea in June. The government has decided to cremate the body as an unclaimed person in accordance with official guidelines.

On August 5, the Ministry of Unification stated, "There was no response from the North Korean side regarding the repatriation of the North Korean resident's body by the originally scheduled time of 3:00 p.m. today," and added, "Following established procedures, the local government will respectfully conduct the funeral in accordance with the protocol for handling unclaimed bodies."

Previously, on July 29, the Ministry of Unification announced through the media, "On June 21, the government discovered a body believed to be a North Korean resident on the coast of Seokmodo, Ganghwa, Incheon, and has been keeping it at a nearby hospital. From a humanitarian and compatriotic perspective, we intend to hand over the body and personal belongings to the North at Panmunjom at 3:00 p.m. on August 5. We ask the North to promptly communicate its position through the inter-Korean communication line." This notice was delivered to the North.

However, North Korea did not express any intention to accept the body despite this notification from the South Korean government. As a result, the body will be cremated as an unclaimed person. Since the deceased's identity was confirmed through a temporary certificate found among the belongings, no separate DNA test will be conducted.

An official from the Ministry of Unification explained on this day, "In typical cases, cremation is carried out the next day or the day after." Meanwhile, since 2010, a total of 29 bodies presumed to be North Korean have been discovered, of which North Korea has not accepted six. The last time North Korea accepted a body was in November 2019.