Funerary transformations in contemporary South Korea

Abstract

This article examines dramatic changes in Korean funerary practices over the recent two decades, focusing on the venue of the funeral and the method of body disposal. Home had long been the most common venue for holding funerals until the mid 1980s and burial had been established as the Korean way of disposal until the mid 1990s. Towards the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century, however, the hospital funeral hall has become the most popular venue for funerals and cremation which had been regarded as a social taboo for centuries has dramatically become popularised. This article examines the ways in which these funerary transformations have occurred within the short period of time and it analyses the phenomena with a particular focus on the issue of change and continuity.

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