[2025 Unclaimed Deaths Report⑤] Relatives Often Powerless... 34% Refuse or Do Not Respond to Body Claims

22.2% Are 'Pure Unclaimed Deaths' With No Relatives to Contact
44% of Bodies Are Transferred to Families Just Before the Funeral

In the past five years, three out of every ten unclaimed deceased individuals were found to have relatives, but their bodies were refused by family members.

According to a comprehensive survey conducted by The Asia Business Daily on the unclaimed deceased reported by local governments nationwide from 2021 to May of this year, 7,336 out of 21,896 cases (33.5%) involved situations where the police or local authorities contacted relatives, but either received no response or the relatives refused or avoided claiming the body. The term "unclaimed deceased" includes both those with no surviving relatives and those whose relatives declined or avoided taking responsibility for the body.

When including 1,747 cases (7.98%) where there was no available data on relatives or it was impossible to verify their existence, the proportion of unclaimed deceased effectively abandoned by their families is estimated to exceed 40%. An official in charge of unclaimed deceased cases at a local government explained, "Recently, there has been a noticeable increase in cases where families refuse or avoid claiming the body."

There are various reasons why bereaved families refuse to claim the bodies. It is not solely due to family discord or estrangement. In some cases, families who maintained contact still had no choice but to give up claiming the body because they could not afford the funeral expenses due to financial hardship. These families register the deceased as unclaimed on paper and say their final goodbyes through public funerals supported by the local government. An official in charge of unclaimed deceased cases in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, stated, "We cannot simply judge families negatively just because they refuse or avoid claiming the body," adding, "When you look at the families who do claim the body, it becomes clear that each has their own circumstances."

So-called "pure unclaimed deceased," with absolutely no relatives to contact even on official documents, accounted for 4,861 cases, or 22.2% of the total. These individuals, with no relatives identified, were cremated immediately through public funeral procedures in accordance with local government ordinances. When combining the proportions of pure unclaimed deceased, those who were unresponsive, those whose relatives refused or avoided claiming, and those whose relatives could not be verified, the total reaches 63.7%. This means that more than six out of ten unclaimed deceased ended their lives alone.

However, not all unclaimed deceased pass away completely alone. Even if someone lived alone with estranged family relationships, there are cases where relatives eventually come forward to claim the body. The survey found that the largest group, 5,612 cases (25.6%), were claimed by spouses or direct family members, while 4,087 cases (18.7%) were entrusted to collateral relatives such as siblings or nephews. Under current administrative procedures, once an unclaimed deceased case is reported, there is a roughly two-week period to search for relatives. If family members are found during this period, the funeral and cremation are carried out properly under the direction of the bereaved family.

Jeagal Hyunsook, a professor of social welfare at Hanshin University, pointed out, "There are many cases where people cut off contact with their families because they do not want to be a financial burden, and the number of single-person households with severed family ties is increasing." She added, "As social polarization in our society intensifies, we need a social safety net that helps individuals who have experienced failure to avoid falling into poverty and to recover."