Charged a Full Day's Fee for Two Hours in the Mortuary... Anti-Corruption Commission Recommends Improvement of Funeral Hall Practices

Unfair practices at funeral halls, such as excessive facility usage fees, forced sales of funeral supplies, and the reuse of flower wreaths, will be improved.

Kim Kiseon, Director of the Policy Bureau for Improvement of Rights at the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, is briefing at the Government Sejong Complex. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On September 16, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced that it has prepared measures to enhance the rationality and transparency of funeral hall usage fees and related practices, and has recommended them to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Fair Trade Commission.

Bereaved families holding funerals have suffered from unreasonable practices such as excessive charges, forced purchases of funeral supplies, and the reuse of flower wreaths. This is because it is difficult to compare and review related costs when preparing for a funeral unexpectedly.

The commission plans to revise the Act on Funeral Services and the standard agreement for funeral halls, so that fees can be charged based on the actual hours of use for spaces such as viewing rooms and mortuaries. Previously, because the standards of these two regulations differed, some funeral halls charged a full day’s fee even for only two to three hours of facility use.

Local governments nationwide will conduct regular inspections to check whether families are being forced to purchase or use funeral supplies. Although the Act on Funeral Services prohibits forcing bereaved families to buy items such as shrouds, coffins, or urns, violations continue to occur in practice.

In addition, the disposal of flower wreaths will now require the consent of the bereaved family to prevent the reuse of wreaths. The commission also plans to diversify oversight by introducing a reward system for reporting violations of the flower wreath reuse labeling requirement.

Kim Kiseon, Director of the Policy Improvement Bureau at the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, said, "We hope that this institutional improvement will serve as an opportunity to reduce the difficulties caused by unreasonable practices at funeral halls."