Found in a 'Pile of Garbage' Four Years After Death... They Could Not Leave Even in Death [2025 Unaccompanied Death Report ⑫]

Average of 21 Days from Death to Cremation Over the Past 5 Years
Some Remain Undiscovered for Years Before Cremation

It has been found that it takes an average of 21 days for unaccompanied deceased individuals-those who pass away without family or close relatives-to completely depart from the world. The waiting time for cremation procedures has become longer due to the sharp increase in unaccompanied deaths, and in some cases, bodies are not discovered until long after death. There have even been instances where the deceased were left unattended and only discovered years later in a skeletal state.

According to a comprehensive analysis by The Asia Business Daily on December 29 of 22,405 unaccompanied deceased individuals, whose dates of death and cremation could be identified over the past five years across 229 local governments nationwide, the average period from death to cremation was calculated to be 21 days. This means that, on average, the deceased are left unattended for about three weeks after passing away.

The differences by region were significant. Among metropolitan governments, Sejong had the longest average period at 49.1 days, followed by Incheon (33.1 days), Seoul (29.5 days), South Chungcheong Province (26.2 days), and Ulsan (25.1 days), all exceeding the national average of 21 days.

Notably, 4,384 individuals (19.5%), or about one in five unaccompanied deceased, took more than a month to be cremated. By period, 3,846 people waited between 30 and 70 days, 253 waited between 70 and 100 days, and 385 waited over 100 days for cremation. The situation in Incheon and Seoul is even more severe. In Incheon, 646 out of 1,589 unaccompanied deceased (40.6%) were not cremated for over a month. In Seoul, 1,781 out of 4,620 (38.5%) could only be cremated more than a month after death.

The waiting period for cremation has also slightly increased. The nationwide average waiting time for cremation rose from 20.4 days in 2021 to 20.8 days between January and May this year. During the same period, the Seoul metropolitan area (including Seoul and Gyeonggi Province) saw an increase from 23.1 days to 23.9 days, the six major metropolitan cities from 18.6 days to 19.3 days, and other regions from 17.7 days to 18 days.

This is largely due to the recent surge in the number of deaths. Excluding those whose year of death or age could not be estimated, the number of unaccompanied deceased rose from 1,244 in 2016 to 6,321 last year-an increase of more than fivefold. Cremations are usually carried out immediately after or the day following a public funeral, but as the number of deaths has increased, funeral schedules are sometimes delayed.

The nature of unaccompanied deaths also plays a role. Unaccompanied deceased individuals often live alone and have no family to contact, so it takes relatively longer for their deaths to be discovered. In addition to homes or medical institutions, some die in places like mountains, streets, or riversides, leading to even later discovery.

In fact, in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, an individual identified as Mr. A was found in a skeletal state by a wild herb gatherer seven years after dying in a mountain hut. In Nam-gu, Busan, Mr. B was discovered by a waste disposal worker four years after his death, among piles of garbage. Even after being found, these individuals had to wait much longer due to administrative procedures such as police investigations and confirming whether any family would claim the body. Over the past five years, there have been 51 cases nationwide in which unaccompanied deceased individuals, like these, waited over a year from death to cremation due to delayed discovery.

An official from Nam-gu District Office in Busan stated, "Unaccompanied deceased individuals who are discovered late as unidentified bodies are found through reports, after which the police conduct an investigation and request the local government to handle the body. Once the local government receives the request, a public funeral is held and cremation is carried out immediately. However, since the date of death on the autopsy report is already long past, it ultimately results in a long period between death and cremation."