Daily NK has learned of a growing trend among residents of
Pyongyang to perform Chuseok [the traditional harvest festival of the Korean
people] ancestral rites at family vaults holding the remains of loved
ones, or in front of urns kept inside the home. As cremation becomes more
common in practice, many spread the ashes of their ancestors at the Daedong
River, and on Chuseok Day return to that place to perform ancestral rites
ceremonies.
A source in the capital city reported to Daily NK on September
5th, “Most residents of Pyongyang have an urn housing the remains of loved
ones, or they are kept in a family vault in a public facility.” She went on to
add that instead of heading to the mountains to perform ancestral rites, like
those in regional areas, many in Pyongyang perform the rites in front of the
urns inside their homes or at the cremariums.
Cemeteries serving Pyongyang are concentrated 40km outside
of the city in the counties of Junghwa and Seungho. In an effort not to
“tarnish the capital of the revolution,” the North Korean authorities banned
burial gravesites within the city, forcing the residents to travel long
distances to visit family members’ graves.
Roadways in South Korea are clogged with people at Chuseok,
with 75% of the population on the road heading to outlying regions to visit
family and perform ancestral rites; North Korea is no different in this
regard. The North Korean authorities have put measures in place to increase the
availability of public transportation, but it does little to alleviate the
stress of traveling to and from the gravesite, along with carrying out
all the traditions the holiday demands; it is similar to the “holiday syndrome”
[physical and psychological symptoms that come with the stress of preparing for
the holiday] of which South Koreans complain.
For these reasons, Pyongyang residents are showing a
preference for cremation. The only crematorium for the capital city is located
in the Nakrang District on Obong Mountain, with advanced Japanese equipment
supplied by the pro-Pyongyang group the General Association of Korean Residents
in Japan [Chongryon].
Regardless of region or status, one must purchase the
required 50 kg of gasoline [70,000 KPW] or 1000 kg of diesel [100,000 KPW] to
perform the cremation. But access is restricted to areas residing outside of
Pyongyang, and so many of them are unable to cremate the remains of family
members.
Pyongyang residents also find that performing ancestral
rites with an urn, rather than at a gravesite, has economic justifications. 40%
of residents in Pyongyang cremate the remains of family members, but this
statistic has risen dramatically as of late, according to the source.
Cremation laws in North Korea were revised in May 1998, and
the practice has since been encouraged. Many have been required by this law to
cremate the dead, but there are a number of loopholes in the law that allow
those with “compelling reasons” to bury family members with “the approval of
the appropriate authorities.” Around this time, cinerariums sprung up
throughout Pyongyang; at present, there is one in each district, each of which
sees swarms of visitors on Chuseok Day, wishing to pay respects to their ancestors.
“Many have come to the realization that cremation of the
body, rather than traveling to the gravesite and all the costs it incurs, to be
a more economic solution,” the source explained. “As the affluent class
continues to gain members, instead of keeping the urn or family vault inside
the home, they travel to the Daedong River, where the scenery is good and the
air is clean, to spread the ashes and return to the site when they need to
perform the ancestral rites.”
She asserted this practice to be another influence of Hallyu
[the Korean Wave of pop culture] in the North, “Many seem to have picked this
up from South Korean movies where people spread the ashes of loved ones on the
river. It has left a deep impression on North Koreans who have viewed scenes like
that in films.”
“On the banks of the river near where they spread the ashes,
many residents will designate a tree to represent their ancestors’ spirit; on
Chuseok Day, they stand in front of that tree and have heart-to-heart talks
surrounded by people who understand,” she concluded.
