37,000 Additional Units to Be Added Through Annex Expansion
Proactive Response to Rising Cremation Demand
Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province will more than double the size of its municipal columbarium facilities by 2032 to proactively respond to the rapidly increasing demand for columbarium spaces driven by a surge in cremations.
A view of 'Gwangmyeong Memorial Park' operated by Gwangmyeong City in Iljik-dong. The city plans to increase the capacity of the columbarium by 37,000 units through an annex expansion by 2032. Provided by Gwangmyeong City
On December 26, Gwangmyeong City announced its plan to add 37,000 new columbarium units to the current 32,952-unit capacity of 'Gwangmyeong Memorial Park' through the construction of an annex by 2032.
Opened in 2009 at 497 Iljik-dong, Gwangmyeong Memorial Park is a municipal columbarium facility. It currently houses a total of 32,952 units, including 13,940 individual units and 19,012 couple units.
The city is pursuing the expansion of the columbarium facilities because the growing popularity of cremation is expected to cause a shortage of spaces. As of December 23, 24,040 units, or 73% of the total, are already occupied, and the facility is projected to reach full capacity by 2029.
The city plans to proceed with the project, aiming for completion by 2032, after going through related procedures such as detailed design services. Based on the current trend of increasing cremations, the city expects that, following the expansion, stable use of the columbarium facilities will be possible at least until 2043.
Meanwhile, in a survey conducted alongside a feasibility study since May, 86.3% of respondents supported the expansion of Gwangmyeong Memorial Park, and 79% indicated their intention to use the columbarium facilities after the expansion.
Park Seungwon, Mayor of Gwangmyeong, stated, "Funeral facilities are not simply a matter of expanding infrastructure, but reflect a city's attitude toward how much it takes responsibility for the lives of its citizens. The city will continue to expand funeral and welfare infrastructure to ensure that Gwangmyeong is a city where people are respected from the beginning to the very end of their lives."
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