SOUTH KOREA - Bereavement Information

SOUTH KOREA: Bereavement Information
Prepared by the British Embassy Seoul

https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-seoul
The death of a relative or a friend can be a traumatic experience. When the death
occurs overseas, family and friends in the UK can feel additional distress as they are
unfamiliar with foreign procedures and perhaps are unable to communicate in the
language of the country where the death occurred. The Consular Directorate of the
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and our Embassy in Seoul are ready
to help as far as they can. You may be uncertain about what to do next or who to
contact for advice. These notes are designed to help you through the practical
arrangements you will need to make. You should be aware that Korean procedures
differ significantly to those in the United Kingdom, and that while we understand
your need for arrangements to be made quickly, this is not always possible. The
information contained in this document is not meant to be a definitive statement of
the law, nor is it to be taken as a substitute for independent legal advice.
<Table of Contents>
- The Embassy’s Role
- Autopsies
- Organ Retention
- Mortuary Facilities
- Post-Mortem Reports
- Repatriation and Burial
- Documents Required for Transport of the Body or Ashes Back to the UK
- Death Registration with the General Register Office
- Return of Personal Effects
- Passports
- Police/Judicial Inquiries
- Death in Suspicious Circumstances
- Legal Aid
- Compensation
- List of Undertakers in South Korea and the UK
The Embassy’s Role
<What we can do>

- Inform next of kin
- Provide information about local procedures
- Provide a list of local funeral directors
- Provide a list of local interpreters/translators and lawyers
- Provide information about transferring funds
<What we cannot do>

- Investigate an alleged crime
- Pay any hospital bills or funeral (burial, cremation, or repatriation) costs
- Expedite local procedures / Negotiate with insurance companies
- Offer legal advice / Translate documents
- Store or send back the deceased’s personal effects
For Koreans in South Korea, the next of kin or some other responsible person,
such as an appointed undertaker, must notify the local district office of the death. A
‘notice/report of death’ (사망신고서: sa-mang-sin-go-seo) needs to be filled in,
submitted, and a small fee paid. Simultaneously, a ‘death certificate’ (사망진단서:
sa-mang-jin-dan-seo or sometimes 시체검안서: si-chae-geom-an-seo) already
issued by the medical authorities, needs to be submitted to prove actual death. The
corresponding death will then officially be reflected in the central family registry, etc.
For foreigners in South Korea, death is handled/investigated by the local police,

while the body is kept at a hospital morgue. (An accruing fee will need to be paid
upon retrieval of the body by next of kin or a duly appointed undertaker.) In case of
death due to non-natural causes, retrieval/release of body must be sanctioned by the
local police/prosecutor: the local police - at the direction of a prosecutor - will issue a
'completion of examination certificate' referred to as 검시필증 (geom-si-pil-jeung) to
the next of kin or a duly appointed funeral director. Meanwhile, a (British) next of kin
is able to obtain a ‘death certificate’ from the hospital in the same manner a Korean
would. But a separate request must be made in order to obtain an English version.
Autopsies (Post-Mortems)
In Korea, autopsies are carried out at a National Forensic Service (NFS) branch
office within where the death occurred. Autopsies are normally performed within
24 hours to one week of the death occurring.
An autopsy is mandatory for any foreign national whose death occurs in South Korea,
except in cases where the cause of death is already known. Permission is generally
sought from the next of kin before an autopsy takes place. However, if the
family does not wish the autopsy to go ahead, this instruction must be provided in
writing. In cases of death where the circumstances are deemed to be suspicious, an
autopsy will be carried out regardless of the wishes of the family. In all cases, the
Korean authorities will have the final say on whether a post mortem will or will not
take place.
After an autopsy has been carried out, the body may be released to the next of kin or
to a duly appointed funeral director for repatriation. The NFS will issue an autopsy
report. This can take several months. The report will be written in Korean and is
normally passed to the Embassy to be forwarded to the next of kin. As it is not
automatically provided, the next of kin can request – normally via the Embassy - a
copy from the police or NFS. If no such request is made by the family, the police will
keep the report.
Organ Retention
Organs are removed briefly from the body so that small samples can be taken for
examination. In rare cases, organs may be removed and retained as necessary.
Mortuary Facilities
Most large/university hospitals have mortuaries and cold storage. The hospital
not only keeps the body but also provides the services of a funeral home.
Post-Mortem Reports
Post-mortem inspection reports and photographs are released only to members of
next of kin or a duly appointed lawyer (or to the police depending on who
requested the post-mortem). This process can take several months.
Repatriation and Burial

The body can usually be released for burial, cremation, or repatriation once
the autopsy is complete. It is possible to arrange for a burial to take place in
South Korea. However, this is becoming more difficult and expensive to
arrange.
Cemeteries charge high maintenance fees, which have to be paid annually. These
payments have to be made to the cemetery every year, indefinitely. Failure at any
time to pay these charges will result in the remains being removed from the grave.
There are many crematorium facilities in South Korea. However these are not of
the same standards as crematoriums in the UK, and as a result cremations are not
always as thorough as those in the UK.
Regardless of whether burial or cremation is chosen, the arrangements should be
made with the funeral home. Coffins, urns, and tombstones are available for
purchase there. In order to arrange for repatriation, an international funeral
director should be appointed. (Please see list for contact details.) If all documents
are ready/issued, repatriation can normally take place within 7-10 days.
Documents Required for Transport of the Body or Ashes Back to the UK
• Original UK passport (+ alien registration card, if resident)
• A letter from the Embassy (if required)
• A 'completion of examination certificate' (검시필증: gum-si-pil-jeung) issued by the

local authorities. This document is issued when the death was caused by
an accident (i.e. non-natural causes).
•A death certificate (사망진단서: sa-mang-jin-dan-seo or 시체검안서: si-chae-

geom-an-seo) issued by the hospital or the medical examiner.
• A 'consent for cremation' letter signed by the next of kin (in case of cremation).
IMPORTANT: If the next of kin cannot come to Korea, they should send ASAP:
1) a valid and effective 'power of attorney' letter, and
2) a copy of the 'deceased's birth certificate,' and
3) a 'consent for cremation' letter (in case of cremation),
to their duly appointed funeral director in South Korea.
Only this way, the duly appointed funeral director (in South Korea) will be
able to act on behalf of the next of kin (who is outside South Korea).
Death Registration with the General Register Office

You do not have to register a death overseas with the General Register Office
(GRO) in the UK. However, by doing so, you can get a UK-style death
certificate, and a permanent copy of it will always be available to the family. Full
details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/register-a-death.
Return of Personal Effects

The personal effects of someone who dies are usually collected by their next of kin,
employer or sponsors, who will need to make arrangements to ship these back to
the UK if required. The Embassy cannot take possession of personal effects.
Passports
It is important that the passport of a person who dies is cancelled so that it cannot be
used illegally. Please submit the passport and an attached D1 form together with the
death certificate. The passport will be returned to you after cancellation if requested.
Police/Judicial Inquiries
The police carry out enquiries into suspicious deaths. Copies of their reports are not
normally given to the next of kin. In cases where a suspect is arrested the police
and public prosecutor carry out their investigations. Following this, the suspect will
either be discharged or indicted. If a suspect is indicted, the subsequent trial
process can move very slowly. Trials and any subsequent appeals can sometimes
take years to be finalised.
Deaths in Suspicious Circumstances

In the case of a sudden or suspicious death in Korea, the police are required to
conduct an investigation. Once the investigation is complete, a report is prepared
and passed to the Prosecutors’ Office.
Most of the above cases will involve an inquest in which the local district prosecutor
will reach a final decision after the police have completed their investigation.
The prosecutor will then decide whether further inquiries are necessary, or whether
to submit the case to the court for a formal trial to take place. This can be a lengthy
process and is subject to delay and postponement. If there is a trial: Once the judge
(or jury) has reached a verdict/decision, there is a period of seven days in which an
appeal can be submitted – either by the defendant or the prosecution - to the court
of first instance (lower court).
Legal Aid
Legal Aid is not available to foreign nationals. If the next of kin require legal
assistance, they should visit our gov.uk website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/south-korea-list-of-lawyers which
provides a list of English-speaking lawyers as well as other info in South
Korea.
Compensation
There are no formal government compensation schemes available, although
damages can be claimed from the accused, and the judge will make a decision
on compensation when the case is heard.
Undertakers in South Korea
INTERNATIONAL FUNERAL SERVICE

Mr Ill-Kwon KIM
- Address: 3F Daewoog B/D, 59 Nae-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, ROK
- Telephone number: +82 (0)10 3668 3439 - Email: [email protected]
EMBALMING KOREA
Mr Kyu-Seong HWANG
- Address: #605, 138-1, Jongro 3 ga, Jongro-gu, Seoul, ROK
- Telephone number: +82 (0)2 2263 5559 - Email: [email protected]
International Undertakers in the United Kingdom

Information on UK-based international funeral directors can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-funeral-directors-in-the-uk
Disclaimer
Our aim is to provide British nationals with relevant information to enable them to
make better informed decisions, but our lists are not recommendations and should
not be treated as such. The information on the list has been provided directly by
the service providers. The sequence of the names on the list has no significance.

SOUTH KOREA - Bereavement Information

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SOUTH KOREA - Bereavement Information

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

SOUTH KOREA - Bereavement Information

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SOUTH KOREA: Bereavement Information

Prepared by the British Embassy Seoul

The Embassy’s Role

<What we can do>

<What we cannot do>

For foreigners in South Korea, death is handled/investigated by the local police,

Repatriation and Burial

• A 'completion of examination certificate' (검시필증: gum-si-pil-jeung) issued by the

•A death certificate (사망진단서: sa-mang-jin-dan-seo or 시체검안서: si-chae-

Death Registration with the General Register Office

Return of Personal Effects

Deaths in Suspicious Circumstances

INTERNATIONAL FUNERAL SERVICE

International Undertakers in the United Kingdom

You might also like