Korea and NIMBY Syndrome with Death

In Seoul there has been an ongoing problem in getting permission for a place to keep the ashes of those cremated. Many residents living near churches that have planned a mausoleum in the basement would be in opposition. Some years ago the Cardinal's car on a visit to bless a Church, with a mausoleum , was pelted with eggs. The feeling strongly continues to exist.

In Korea there are more cremations than the traditional burials which is a big change from the traditional idea of death and burial. Most Catholics in Korea still prefer traditional burial in spite of the Church's permission and even recommendation for cremation and placing the remains of the dead in diocesan mausoleums. There is ongoing litigation on a charnel house (place to keep the ashes of the dead) in one of the churches in Seoul. Click here for Union of Catholic Asian News report .

The diocese feels the recent decision of the Constitutional Court ruling was ill advised. It prohibited the building of mausoleums in churches that are within 200 meter of a school. Catholics feel that death is a part of life and there is no reason to try to hide this from children. The ruling mentioned that in Korea there has been a traditional avoidance of graves and corpses in residential areas. There is the traditional fear of what this will do to the emotional life of the children. This was approved by a vote of 5 in favor and 4 against

The diocese feels that the repugnance that is expressed with this ruling concerning death is a serious problem in itself. It is a part of the way we have looked at death but does that mean that we must continue doing so? Although there is a movement to increase the number of these mausoleums, people do not want them near to where they live. NIMBY is the acronym for "Not In My Back Yard." It is the rallying cry of residents who are opposed to the establishment of undesirable facilities, such as incinerators, landfills, or prisons, and now in Seoul a place for the ashes of the dead. The diocese feels this attitude is very detrimental to the education of children.

There is much to be said on the respect for the dead that we have in Korea but at the same time we have a great deal of superstition with death and what surrounds it. Changing the way we look at death and our traditional ways, will enable children and all of us to have a healthier appreciation of life . Hopefully we will see a change in this area, in the months and years to come.