South Korean Funeral Rites: Ancient and Modern

The Korean people have many beliefs about life, death and the hereafter that have affected their funeral rites. Getting to know about these beliefs will provide an insight into these people who have been called "The Hermit Kingdom" until recently.

Koreans believed that if someone passed away from home, that person's spirit would wander and become a ghost. Therefore they did all that they could to make sure a person died at home, and not alone. In addition, according to Confucian standards, only people of the same gender could witness a death. This means that a husband was not able to witness or be present at the death of his wife. It has also been a custom that those who were present before a relative died were to wail and mourn. It was an expression of guilt that their lack of piety was the reason the person died.

The grieving ones then put on very simple attire, and the women removed their jewelry and did not comb their hair. Then one of the relatives took a coat that belonged to the deceased person and went on the roof and called out the deceased's name three times. They then placed this coat upon the deceased.

When preparing the deceased's body the nails were clipped neatly and the body washed and the hair cleaned and combed and any hairs that fell out were carefully collected and placed into a special pouch which was placed inside the coffin. Both money and three spoonfuls of rice (representing a thousand bushels of rice each) were placed in the deceased's mouth. This would assure the deceased person's journey to the next world would be made easier. Then the body was dressed in a special outfit. The hands and feet were tied and the body was wrapped and placed in the coffin and the coffin was sealed and a shrine was set up in the deceased's house.

The relatives all wore mourning clothes that were various lengths depending on their relationship with the deceased. The intention of the morning process was seen as a reflection of filial duty of the children. The eldest son was to lie on the floor with only armrests made of hay for the duration of the mourning period (three, five or seven days).