Gwangsan District of Gwangju Wins Excellence Award at Public Funeral Local Government Best Practices Contest

Gwangsan District in Gwangju announced on the 13th that it received the Excellence Award at the "2025 Public Funeral Local Government Best Practices Contest," hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and organized by the Korea Funeral Culture Promotion Institute.

In April last year, Park Byungkyu, the mayor of Gwangsan District, is praying and observing a moment of silence for the unclaimed deceased at Suwan Funeral Hall. Provided by Gwangsan District

The Korea Funeral Culture Promotion Institute has previously held contests for individuals to improve awareness of funeral culture, but this year, for the first time, it expanded the contest to include local governments and shared outstanding cases of public funerals.

Gwangsan District was recognized for its case titled "Dignified Community Funerals: Gwangsan District's Public-Private Partnership for Unclaimed Public Funerals." This policy was launched in April last year through an agreement among Gwangsan District, eight organizations from four major religions, four local funeral homes, and the Together Gwangsan Sharing Culture Foundation, all working together to honor the dignity of unclaimed deceased individuals in their final moments.

Under the agreement, Gwangsan District provided administrative and financial support, religious organizations conducted memorial ceremonies, funeral homes offered funeral halls, and the Sharing Culture Foundation contributed additional funeral expense donations. Through these efforts, seven public funerals were held last year and five have been held so far this year, ensuring that unclaimed deceased individuals were not alone on their final journey.