Policy Issues on Abortion in Korea

Abstract

Funeral service gives economic burden as well as procedural complexity to survivors. Especially in the case of elderly people living alone or homeless, survivor in low-income class doesn’t re-claim his or her family corpse for economic burden of funeral cost. Therefore National Basic Livelihood Security System (NBLSS) grants to eligible low-income class funeral benefit with a cash or in-kind grants. This study assesses the sufficient of funeral benefit in NBLSS and the determinants of the cost of funeral and method of bury a corps with Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA). According to the data, the average funeral costs for beneficiaries is 6.3 million won and the proportion of use of the ossuary, as a way of burial, is the highest. The result of this study is that the funeral benefit in NBLSS, W750,000 is very insufficient to clean and shroud the deceased and bury a corps at the average level of. And it may fail to function properly the role of the survivor’s psychological buffer to send the dead. And deputy chief mourner service is required because chief mourner is not in the case of elderly people living alone or homeless. Therefore, government, local governments, and private organizations like religious groups should gather forces with everyone to end up with a dignity as human beings in the final stage of life.