Outside the main cities of South Korea, visitors often notice neat, semi-circular, grassy mounds. About six metres in diameter, they are often located in small groups, on the sides of mountains, and accompanied by stone slabs or monuments depicting figures of people or animals.
These mounds are the burial sites of South Koreans, often laid to rest in family groups, visited by the descendents of the dead on holidays and other special occasions.
Traditionally, there has been a lack of large public cemeteries, and the choice of these final resting places has long been considered crucial because the location of ancestors' graves is thought to affect the fate of their descendants: an auspicious spot guarantees success and prosperity, while a wrong choice would spell disaster.
However, in a densely populated country, the problem of space is challenging the traditional preference for burial over cremation. It is projected that Seoul will shortly run out of space for graves, with most other large cities facing a similar predicament within years.
The government is considering a series of measures to overcome the looming shortage of land, and to promote cremation. Its proposals would require land developers to include public crematoriums and mausoleums when they build a new town in the country. The measures, if passed, would also lift the ban on cemeteries being located within 300 metres of a road, railway or stream. In a bid to crack down on the building of opulent and space-consuming mausoleums, there would also be space limits on each burial site.
Increasingly, the luxury of a burial is slowly being replaced by the practice of cremation. According to one estimate, in 1990, 17.8 per cent of all deceased were cremated. A survey two years ago suggested that more than 60 per cent of people would choose to be cremated or select cremation for loved ones.