Title A Study on the Change of Distance between the Cemetery and the City caused by Modernization - Through Comparative Analysis between Paris and Seoul -
Authors Kee, Se-Ho
DOI https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK_PD.2018.34.5.97
Page pp.97-108
ISSN 1226-9093
Keywords modernization ; cemetery ; ossuary
Abstract Death is the side of life which is turned away from us. The life of people in Seoul, however, is disconnected from death. Why? This article compares the historical changes in the cemetery disposition of Paris and Seoul to answer this question. The cemetery is always a meeting place between the living and the dead. In pre-modern cities, the cemetery was close to the people's daily life. However, the fundamental change of urban structure due to modernization has a great influence on the cemetery. With the advent of the train, the world has shrunk and the city has expanded unprecedentedly. In such a situation, the cemetery is expelled to the outside of the city. However, while Paris and Seoul share the same overall flow, they responded differently to the plans for the establishment of large-scale remote cemeteries. In Paris, the plan was canceled by citizens who value their relationship with the dead. On the other hand, Seoul was unable to manage the cemetery due to social confusion in 20th century. All cemeteries were expelled as industrialization began. As a result, there is no public cemetery or ossuary at present in Seoul. In Seoul, about 20 years ago however, a new kind of place for the dead began to appear. It is an ossuary attached to religious facilities. In other words, the current cemetery of Seoul is divided into two forms : the public cemetery, which is expelled from the city, and the private ossuary, which is attached to religious facilities built in the city.