"Father in a Nursing Home Was Believed to Be Still Alive, but He Had Died 1 Year and 7 Months Earlier"... Cremated Without Telling the Family

[Financial News] In an unbelievable incident at a nursing home, a resident's body was cremated without the family being told of the death. The family did not learn about it until a full year and seven months later, while the nursing home claimed, “His son came and held the funeral.” The shocking part was that the deceased had no son. In connection with the case, a court ordered the nursing home operator to pay 2.5 million won in damages.

According to a JTBC report on the 9th, a woman in her 40s identified only by the surname Choi was shocked when she obtained a family relations certificate in January 2024. It showed that her father, whom she had placed in a nursing home, had died 1 year and 7 months earlier.
She hurriedly contacted the nursing home in Namyangju, and an official identified only by the surname Yang said, “His son came and held the funeral.” But the deceased had no son.
When Choi challenged Yang, Yang changed the story, saying it was a “niece or nephew,” then responded indignantly, “What are you trying to make an issue of now?”
It emerged that Yang reported the death and had the body cremated two days after the deceased died. Yang said the ashes had been “scattered at a crematorium for unclaimed remains.”
The family was not told anything, including the cause of their father's death.
Last month, in a damages lawsuit brought by the bereaved family, the court ruled that Yang had acted contrary to social norms and “violated the principle of good faith,” and ordered Yang to pay 2.5 million won in damages.

The problem is that it is difficult to prevent a death from being reported without the bereaved family's knowledge.
Under current law, a cohabitant or others can report a death even if they are not relatives, and there is also no rule requiring the family to be notified of the death.
The bereaved family told JTBC, “We feel guilty that we couldn't visit more often because the nursing home asked us to limit visits, saying, ‘When your family comes to visit, your father drinks more.’” They expressed their outrage.
The nursing home says it tried to contact the family several times.

Netizens expressed outrage at the nursing home's conduct, asking, “How can they hold a funeral without even telling the bereaved family?” One netizen said, “Why did they rush through the funeral so haphazardly? It's beyond common sense. A thorough investigation seems necessary,” and calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the death were widespread.

Meanwhile, criticism also poured in over the children, who had placed their father in a nursing home but did not visit him for 1 year and 7 months. One netizen said, “That means they didn't visit him even once in all that time.” Others commented, “Several holidays must have passed in 1 year and 7 months, and it would have been his birthday, too, yet they never visited,” and pointed out, “It makes no sense that the nursing home asked them to limit visits, but it's also strange not to see your parent for 1 year and 7 months.” 


[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter