Innovation 24

The “Firsts” and “Bests” of Government Innovation

The Korean Government will accredit the “Firsts” of our innovations that contributed to the public’s comfort and safety, and select the “Best” cases of government innovation to spread as examples to our many institutions.

The Best

Public Funeral Service (Metropolitan Government)

Seoul City
May 2018

Government-subsidized Funerals(hereafter referred to as Public Funerals) are a public welfare policy for unclaimed persons or citizens who are unable to hold proper funeral rituals due to financial difficulties.

Seoul City has established a professional and structured system to support the most Public Funeral services in Korea. Furthermore, Seoul City is the only municipal government in Korea to operate a Public Funeral Support and Consultation Center, serving as a model example of this policy.

Content

Seoul City Public Funerals ⓒ Nanum and Nanum (“Sharing and Sharing’)

√ Overview

√ Introduction

√ Accomplishments

√ Expansion

■ “Public Funerals”, a Social Welfare Project to Protect the Unclaimed Deceased

With social issues like family breakdowns and poverty, the number of individuals passing away without any next of kin is increasing. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare(MOHW)’s “Status of Unclaimed Bodies Management” report, the number of unclaimed deceased has almost doubled in four years from 3,136 in 2020 to 6,139 in 2024, last year(over 14,000 total unclaimed deceased from 2020 to 2024). Funeral services for the unclaimed deceased is no longer a choice, but a necessary social welfare project for the Korean government.

Public Funerals are a welfare service where the public sector grants a level of human dignity to deceased individuals who are unable to conduct proper funeral ceremonies due to no next of kin or low income, by providing necessary support for a funeral.

Public Funerals were first implemented in 2007 in Shinan-gun, South Jeolla Province, and as of April 2025, are conducted by 15 metropolitan governments and 217 basic municipal governments. Seoul City was the first metropolitan government to implement Public Funerals in 2018, and has improved policies each year to guarantee a fully inclusive program. The city stands silently by the deceased without any next of kin, wishing they are no longer alone in their final journey.

Funeral Vehicles at Seoul Municipal Crematorium(Seoul Memoral Park) Entrance ⓒ Seoul City

■ Korea’s Highest Numbers in Unclaimed Deceased. No More Lonely Deaths

In 2018, the Seoul Metropolitan Government enacted the “Public Funeral Ordinance” in order to prevent further lonely deaths with the rising number of unclaimed deceased, and to further solidify funeral services for such individuals as a proper social welfare program.

Public Funeral services were supported for any deceased individuals without next of kin, recipients of basic livelihood support(and no next of kin), and cases where relatives have refused to claim the deceased. Support can be requested through contracted funeral service providers, and cover all matters of funeral procedures including preparation of body, burial clothes, coffin enshrinement, transport, cremation, enshrinement, and funeral ceremonies.

In May 2018, the Seoul Metropolitan Government established a dedicated funeral hall on the second floor of the Seoul Municipal Crematorium(Seoul Memorial Park) to conduct funeral ceremonies for the deceased with no next of kin or with low income. In March 2023, an additional funeral hall was established at the Seoul Memorial Park.

Seoul Municipal Crematorium Public Funeral Hall ⓒ Seoul City

After enactment in 2018, Seoul City’s “Public Funeral Ordinance” has been amended to reflect the opinions and requirements coming from the policy in practice. In 2021, language was added to allow Public Funeral support based on the religious affiliation of the deceased. In 2023, further language was added to guarantee a “Right to Mourn for the Bereaved.” In addition, in 2025, a provision was added to guarantee funeral honors from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs after confirming persons of distinguished services to the state, setting a basis to provide proper funeral honors to individuals of distinguished service.

Through such amendments, the Seoul City Public Funeral Ordinance has transformed funeral ceremonies for the unclaimed deceased from a simple “unclaimed body management” process into a funeral support system that guarantees a level of dignity for the deceased’s last farewell. The ordinance has set a critical milestone in developing the Public Funeral service into an official government policy.

■ Operating Korea’s First Public Funeral Support and Consultation Center

Since the introduction of Public Funerals in 2018, Seoul City has seen a rising number of funeral services for the unclaimed deceased, beginning with 389 in 2018 to 1,407 in 2024. Over the past three years, the city has conducted 3,744 cases of Public Funeral services, the highest number of all local governments in the nation.

How has Seoul managed to handle over a thousand Public Funerals per year for the unclaimed deceased, engaging in coordination with 25 District offices, funeral service providers, petitioning citizens, and funeral halls?

After initial Public Funeral trial runs in 2018, Seoul City decided that a consultation and support function was necessary for the stable operation of Public Funerals. In March 2019, the city founded a comprehensive consultation call center through an MOU with “Nanum and Nanum” a non-profit organization that had supported funerals for the unclaimed deceased. A dedicated hotline, 1668-3412, was established for year round, 24/7 consultation, providing funeral related consultation services for individuals without next of kin, and low-income households.

MOU Signing with Nanum and Nanum (“Sharing and Sharing”) ⓒ yunml620

The Seoul City Public Funeral Consultation Center is the only one of its kind in Korea, and a standalone speciality of Seoul City’s Public Funerals. The center not only provides Public Funeral related consultation for the bereaved, but also develops Public Funeral operational manuals and training sessions for public workers, while offering on-site support for Public Funerals and bereavement care. Furthermore, a database for the unclaimed deceased and Public Funerals is maintained, and efforts have continued to improve policies and programs, while a structured system of stable operations has been established through the COVID crisis and media interactions.

In May 2023, Seoul City partially amended the Public Funeral ordinance for the Seoul Metropolitan Government. A key change was the unclaimed deceased’s “right to be mourned,” and guaranteeing the bereaved with a “right to mourn.” While more than 90 Public Funeral ordinances had been enacted at the time, mentioning a dignified end of life for the deceased, there had been no specified mention of the “right to mourn” for the bereaved.

Through this amendment, the Seoul City became the first municipal government in Korea to specify, in ordinance, not just dignity for the unclaimed deceased, but also the “right to mourn” for the bereaved. Furthermore, the ordinance added it as a Mayor’s duty to provide public notices of the deceased and to ensure participation of citizens(including bereaved families and volunteers), in order to guarantee both the “right to be mourned” and the “right to mourn.”

Anyone can participate as a volunteer for Public Funerals. Individuals can apply through the 1365 Volunteer Service Portal. There has been continuous participation from volunteering citizens, including 401 in 2023, and 399 in 2024.

Seoul City’s Public Funerals have been evaluated to have the most stable operation among all Public Funeral programs. Once the Metropolitan Government assigns a budget, the Seoul Municipal Crematorium is responsible for budget execution. Through a bidding process, Each Seoul District Office selects funeral services providers for Public Funerals, and conducts funerals for the unclaimed deceased in each respective district. The non-profit organization “Nanum and Nanum” handles overall consultation and support operations across Public Funerals in Seoul, and encourages the participation of family members, acquaintances, and volunteers in funeral services.

Handling the death of each individual requires the participation and effort of many. Public Funerals have gone beyond a simple funeral support system for the deceased, becoming an opportunity to reaffirm how we as a society appreciate each individual’s human dignity.

■ Opening Up the House of Remembrance, as We Mourn and Remember Those who Have Passed

Seoul City’s Public Funerals are operated systematically through the cooperation and support of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Elderly Welfare Department, 25 District Offices, the Seoul Municipal Crematorium, funeral service providers, and the Seoul City Public Funeral Consultation and Support Center. By creating an in-house manual, Seoul City also conducts yearly training sessions for coordinators at municipal governments and funeral service companies.

With rising volumes in Public Funerals, Seoul City, as of November 2025, has acquired agreements with 49 funeral homes for funeral service operation. In addition to expanding funeral facilities, the city has increased staffing support and extended operating hours at the Municipal Crematorium to meet rising demands for cremations. Particularly in 2023, the Seoul Municipal Crematorium introduced the “Smart Cremation Chamber,” which effectively reduces cremation times. Seoul city plans to expand its cremation capacity by 190 per day by 2026 by further developing the Smart Cremation Chamber.

Beginning in February 2024, the House of Remembrance, a facility for Public Funerals where the unclaimed deceased are enshrined, has been opened to the public for key dates of Seollal, Chuseok, and Hansik, guaranteeing the “right to mourn” for the bereaved..

Seoul City, beginning in the latter half of 2025, has decided to install the “Starlight of Memory” Digital Memorial at the House of Remembrance. So far, remembrance had only been conducted with simple ritual items without any names or photographs. Once the “Starlight of Memory” memorial is installed, the names and life stories, etc. will be visible on a display screen. The memorial will be installed outside the entrance of the House of Remembrance for the unclaimed deceased, and will be operational beginning at Chuseok this year.

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