Story thread · 6 reports / 3 sources

More Koreans abandon traditional funeral halls to focus on grief

koreatimes.co.kr · 10dShare

The funeral that Ryu Jae-jun, 57, held for his father on June 23 broke entirely from Korean tradition. His family dispensed with a formal funeral hall — a traditional three-day reception and catering space where bereaved relatives host a continuous stream of visitors — and omitted the customary receiving line. Rather than contact a prepaid funeral service or a commercial funeral home, Ryu called the Catholic church his family attended. He scheduled a funeral Mass and brought his father’s body to the church. Instead of dressing the deceased in a traditional burial shroud, the family dressed him in his favorite everyday clothes, while family members wore suits instead of traditional mourning robes. About 200 acquaintances attended the Mass, held three days after the death, and the family declined all cash gifts traditionally offered to the bereaved. "Because we did not receive mourners, I was able to organize my father's belongings during the funeral period and fully reflect on his life

First report: Funeral director ‘ripped off’ vulnerable pensioners with fake funeral plans — standard.co.uk, 12d