You’re probably confused at the headlines.
Fake funerals? Nani the f?
Be even more baffled when I tell you that this isn’t even some kind of fake funerals for someone else. This is a fake funeral for themselves.
No, this isn’t some kind of online fad like the Harlem shake or planking. It’s not some kind of insurance scam.
Fake funerals are an actual service in South Korea where you attend your own funeral.
(While still alive of course.)
How The Fake Funeral Works
It’s simple really. Just do everything a normal funeral does except the dying and the inviting everybody to your funeral part.
This means writing your will or last testament while wearing funeral clothing and taking a funeral photo.
And of course, actually “dying” by lying in a coffin.
For 10 full minutes.
The above photos are at Hyowon Healing Center, and since it started in 2012 more than 25,000 people participated to improve their lives by simulating their deaths.
Oh, the service is free, by the way.
In the past days, the service by Hyowon Healing Center exploded on the internet, with various news like Reuters, SCMP, Sydney Morning Herald, picking up on the story.
But this story was also featured back in 2016 by The New York Times. And in fact…
Fake Funerals Like This Already Existed Way Back In 2002
VICE made a 20-minute documentary with one of the pioneers of the fake funeral services, Mr Kim Ki-ho, who started the program at his own institute in 2002.
If you have time to watch the documentary, then you can feel free to skip the rest of the article.
Mr Kim’s version of the fake funeral service is more elaborate; it even includes a pre-funeral lecture, a long walk to the forest led by an angel of death, and it’s 30 minutes in the coffin. (Though, I’m not sure if the program has changed.)
But if you’re reading instead of watching the documentary, you’re probably thinking:
Huh, why need to fake your own death to experience death? Aren’t we already the working dead?
It’s To Reflect On Your Lives
If you came into this article looking to laugh at something, the bad news is you’ll be leaving here slightly depressed.
You see, Mr Kim started this program in 2002 to address South Korea’s high suicide rate, and it’s a pretty similar cause for the other programs.
South Korea’s suicide rate is the 10th highest in the world, and in 2012 is the fourth highest cause of death. In 2016, their suicide rate was 20.2 per 100,000 residents, which is almost twice the global average of 10.53.
Living funerals like these helps people appreciate their lives, seek forgiveness, and reconcile with family and friends.
Jeong Yong-mun, head of Hyowon, says:
“We don’t have forever.”
“That’s why I think this experience is so important – we can apologize and reconcile sooner and live the rest of our lives happily.”
And apparently, he had even talked to some with thoughts of suicide.
“I picked out those people who have asked themselves whether … they can actually commit suicide, and I reversed their decision.”
“I want to let people know that they matter, and that someone else would be so sad if they were gone.”
“Happiness is in the present.”
In the VICE documentary, producer Yuka Uchida, also says this about the service:
“Overwhelmed by society and daily life, people no longer have the time to look inside themselves. By being told that this is the last day of your life, you feel like you are finally given time to look into yourself. You realise that the answers you were seeking exist inside of you. That’s the real purpose of this near-death experience.”
I can’t say that doesn’t make sense.
Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:
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