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 relatives-to be fully laid to rest. This prolonged period is due to both the increasing number of unaccompanied deaths, which has extended the waiting time for cremation procedures, and the fact that bodies are often discovered long after death. In some cases, the deceased were found in a skeletal state years after passing away.

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

There were clear regional disparities. Among metropolitan governments, Sejong had the longest average period at 49.1 days, followed by Incheon (33.1 days), Seoul (29.5 days), Chungnam (26.2 days), and Ulsan (25.1 days)-all exceeding the national average of 21 days.

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

The waiting period for cremation has also slightly increased. The national average waiting time for cremation rose from 20.4 days in 2021 to 20.8 days in January-May of this year. During the same period, the metropolitan area-including Seoul and Gyeonggi-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 deaths. Excluding those whose year of death and age could not be estimated, the number of unaccompanied deceased individuals increased more than fivefold, from 1,244 in 2016 to 6,321 last year. Cremation usually takes place immediately after or a day following a public funeral, but as the number of deaths rises, funeral schedules are increasingly delayed.

The characteristics of unaccompanied deaths also play a role. Unaccompanied deceased individuals typically live alone and have no family in contact, so it often takes longer for their deaths to be discovered. In addition to homes and medical facilities, deaths sometimes occur outdoors-in mountains, on streets, or by rivers-resulting in even later discovery.

In fact, in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, a man identified as Mr. A was found in a skeletal state by a herbalist seven years after dying in a mountain hut. In Nam-gu, Busan, Mr. B was discovered by a waste disposal worker four years after death, buried under a pile of garbage. Even after discovery, administrative procedures such as police investigations and verification of whether there are relatives to claim the body meant they had to wait even longer. Over the past five years, there have been 51 cases nationwide where unaccompanied deceased individuals like these waited more than a year from death to cremation due to late discovery.

An official from Nam-gu District Office in Busan stated, "Unaccompanied deceased individuals who are discovered late as unidentified bodies are reported and found, after which the police complete their investigation and request the local government to handle the remains. Once the local government receives the request, a public funeral and cremation are carried out immediately, but since the date of death on the autopsy report is already long past, it ultimately takes a long time from death to cremation."