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Produced by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey
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Pet Burial in Korea: Why You Can’t Bury Your Pet
Pet graves are common in many parts of the world. Some pet cemeteries exist alongside human graveyards, while others are located on family land. In some countries, pets are even buried beside their owners.
In Korea, however, this is extremely rare.
During years of exploring cemeteries across the country, Shawn Morrissey has only encountered pets buried with humans once. The burial was almost certainly illegal, and the location remains undisclosed.
So why are pet burials so uncommon in Korea?
The Rise of Pet Ownership in Korea
Pet ownership in Korea has grown quickly in recent years. Government data suggests about 25 percent of households had pets in 2022. By 2025, that number had climbed to around 30 percent.
Dogs are by far the most common pets, especially small breeds like Maltese and Shih Tzus that fit well in apartment living. Cats, once widely disliked in Korea, have also grown increasingly popular.
Older generations often associated cats with bad luck or evil spirits. Today, however, many people feed and care for street cats, and younger Koreans increasingly treat pets as family members.
Despite this cultural shift, Korea’s legal system has not fully adapted to the new reality.
The Surprising Law About Pet Burial
One of the most surprising facts for many pet owners is that burying a pet in Korea is illegal.
Random burial and unlicensed cremation are prohibited by law. Animal remains, including cremated ashes, are legally classified as waste.
In practical terms, this means that a pet’s body can legally be placed in a standard household trash bag and incinerated along with other waste.
For many people, this idea is emotionally disturbing. Animal rights groups have argued that pets should no longer be treated legally as objects or waste.
Instead, they advocate recognizing animals as living beings, which would require specialized handling of remains similar to human funerary practices.
The Reality of Pet Cremation
Because burial options are limited, private cremation has become the most common alternative.
Pet cremation facilities offer services that often resemble human funerals. Families may gather in a private room where their pet is displayed in a small coffin surrounded by flowers.
Shawn described his experience cremating one of his pets, Cloudy, at a crematorium in Paju. The facility provided a private room with comfortable seating and an altar. Cloudy’s photo was displayed beside the coffin, and the family was given time alone to say goodbye.
After cremation, the remains were processed and the bones turned into small beads that could be kept as memorial objects.
Shawn later went through a similar experience with Lakota, a much larger dog weighing more than 30 kilograms. Due to Lakota’s size, the crematorium had to use a larger cremation chamber.
These services provide closure for families, but they can also be expensive and difficult to access.
The Accessibility Problem
One major issue with pet funeral services in Korea is location.
There are roughly 80 licensed facilities nationwide, but none within Seoul itself. The closest major facility is in the Ilsan area.
Considering that Seoul alone contains roughly 20 percent of the country’s population, this lack of access creates significant challenges for many pet owners.
Local opposition often prevents new facilities from opening. Residents frequently argue that funeral services could lower nearby land values.
If communities sometimes resist building schools for children with disabilities, opposition to pet crematoriums is even stronger.
Why Pets Cannot Be Buried in Human Cemeteries
Many pet owners wonder why pets cannot simply be buried alongside their humans.
The answer likely lies in older cultural traditions.
In Confucian burial practices, ancestral graves are tied to family lineage and ritual obligations known as myoje. These rites historically applied only to human ancestors.
Animals, even beloved pets, were traditionally excluded from these rituals. As a result, burial customs developed that strictly separated humans and animals.
However, this cultural boundary is beginning to soften as younger generations view pets differently.
The Future of Pet Burial in Korea
Attitudes toward animals in Korea continue to evolve.
Today, many people see pets not as property but as family members. Surveys suggest strong public support for allowing pets to be buried with their owners.
Shawn conducted an informal survey on Instagram asking whether pets should be allowed in human cemeteries. Nearly 90 percent of respondents supported the idea.
If public opinion continues shifting, Korea may eventually revise its laws and funeral practices to reflect this changing relationship between humans and animals.
For now, however, the gap between cultural sentiment and legal reality remains wide.
