Watched an interesting thing on one of the learning channels on Korean funerals, they dig up the bodies, wash and repackage the bones and the families take them home with them.
What happens to people that do not have any families to take the bones elsewhere? Is there a stash of lonely little caskets somewhere?
watched that in believe it or not (jack palance era.) no coffin. the remains are wrapped in heavy cloth, nestled snugly in earth and rocks and covered with mulch up in the hills, mountains or meadows. they go back after three years for the bones.
Yes, I know - but what about the people with no family to take the bones after the 3 years are done? Turf them into a dumpster? Place them in some ‘orphans’ chapel? Sit them in the market place for people with no elders to take home and pretend they are great grandpa?
as i said, they’re laid in some remote spot so if, after 3 years, the retrievers are a no-show, it might just as well been buried permanently.
this practice makes sense for such a small country with limited useable land area. but i’m pretty sure it’s a tradition that’s giving way to more conventional means of internment.