Nearly seven out of 10 S. Koreans cremated

Nearly seven out of every 10 South Koreans were cremated in 2010, the government said Friday, pointing to a rapid change in people's views on the practice.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, out of the 255,403 South Koreans who died last year, 172,276, or 67.5 percent, were cremated, more than double the 33.7 percent recorded in 2000.

The average number of people cremated per day also increased to 472 last year from 440 in 2009, the ministry said.

"Cremation has become the most popular option as it is easier, more hygienic and costs less (than burials)," the ministry said.

In a recent survey conducted by the Korean Association for Land Administration, 73 percent of 903 respondents said they preferred cremation over burial or other types of funeral.

Cremation is apparently more popular among people who live in large cities as 75.9 percent of the deceased in Seoul were cremated while the rate dropped to the lowest of 48.3 percent in the southern resort island of Jeju.

Busan, the country's second-largest city about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, recorded the highest rate of cremation, 83.5 percent.

By gender, the rate of males being cremated, 70.6 percent, was higher than that of females, 63.1 percent.

The ministry said it plans to continue expanding cremation facilities to meet growing demand, a move that will include the revision of related laws to allow the installation of cremation furnaces at funeral homes. (Yonhap News)