Staff members of the Korea Hana Foundation commemorated North Korean defectors who died without family ties during the Lunar New Year holiday.
On Tuesday, the foundation visited Yewon Memorial Hall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, where 86 unclaimed North Korean defectors are laid to rest. They paid their respects by laying flowers and observing a moment of silence for those who left their homeland and families, only to end their lives in an unfamiliar land.
Since 2010, the foundation has been supporting funeral services and interment for unclaimed North Korean defectors for up to 30 years.
They have established standards for funeral honors and provide systematic support throughout the entire process, including funeral procedures, interment, and long-term management. To date, they have interred the remains of 151 unclaimed North Korean defectors across three memorial facilities: Yewon Memorial Hall (Goyang, Gyeonggi), Mugunghwa Memorial Park (Nonsan, Chungnam), and Seodaesan Memorial Park (Geumsan, Chungnam).
Notably, last year, they established a new memorial for unclaimed North Korean defectors within Seodaesan Memorial Park in Chungnam, creating a centralized location for the systematic management of previously scattered remains.
Furthermore, the foundation provided financial assistance and essential supplies to 100 North Korean defector families facing economic and emotional hardships.
The foundation announced plans to expand collaboration with the Ministry of Unification and local governments to facilitate the transfer of remains to bereaved families in North Korea. They also intend to continue various programs and outreach activities to raise public awareness about the lives, resettlement, and social integration of North Korean defectors.