Gov't to cremate unclaimed bodies of inmates

SEOUL, July 26 (Yonhap) -- The government will push to cremate inmates who die without known surviving relatives, instead of temporarily burying them under the current system, as a measure to resolve land shortage problems, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.
Under the revised law, approved by the Cabinet earlier in the day, correctional facilities are allowed to choose to cremate deceased inmates without relatives who can take care of their bodies. After storing the remains in a vault for two years, they will eventually be scattered on mountains, said the ministry.
Currently, each facility buries its dead temporarily for two years while waiting for their relatives or friends to emerge. Bodies that are not claimed over the two-year period are cremated or interred together.
"The revision aims to deal with difficulties in securing land for burial and managing the grounds afterwards." ministry official Joo Gi-nam said. "It is also in line with the trend of preferring cremation over traditional burial."
The country has grappled with mushrooming cemeteries, which take up almost 1 percent of the country's land. But an increasing number of Koreans are choosing cremation, with 65 percent of the population opting for it last year, up from less than 20 percent two decades ago, according to government data.