Suwon Yeonhwa Mausoleum Implements Chuseok Pre-reservation System and Online Memorial Services

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon Yeonhwa Mausoleum announced on the 16th that ahead of the Chuseok holiday, it will implement a month-long pre-reservation system for grave visits and utilize online memorial services to disperse visitors, taking into account concerns about COVID-19 spread due to Chuseok-related gatherings.

To this end, Suwon Yeonhwa Mausoleum will accept memorial visitors through pre-reservations for 29 days from the 17th through October 15th, including the Chuseok holiday period and two weeks before and after.

The Memorial Hall will operate 10 hours daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through reservations. Only families of up to four people are accepted per reservation, with 45 families per hour, allowing a maximum of 450 families or 1,800 people per day to pay respects.

Pre-reservations are accepted by phone. For visits during the Chuseok holiday period from September 30th to October 4th, reservations must be made between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on September 21-25. For visits outside the holiday period, reservations can be made on other dates. Bereaved families have been notified via text message about the pre-reservation system and application procedures.

When visitors who pre-reserved their visit arrive at their designated time, families can spend approximately 30 minutes in memorial reflection, with the remaining 30 minutes reserved for disinfection and ventilation for the next visitors.

Even with pre-reservations, to maintain social distancing between visitors, the ritual performance area will be temporarily closed and food consumption is prohibited. Additionally, all visitors must wear masks, sign the visitor registry, undergo temperature checks, and comply with all quarantine measures.

Outdoor enshrinement facilities such as the enshrinement wall and natural burial sites will operate normally, but ritual activities are prohibited.

At Suwon Yeonhwa Mausoleum, where a total of 41,479 urns are enshrined (as of July), approximately 93,400 visitors came during the four-day Chuseok holiday last year. This year, to contain the spread of COVID-19, the mausoleum will implement the pre-reservation system and limit the total number of visitors, with expectations to reduce numbers to approximately 10,000 people.

Bereaved families who defer or skip grave visits can use the online memorial service.

As a measure to disperse visitors, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has established a non-contact online grave visit service called the 'e-Haneul Funeral Service Information System,' which allows families and relatives to decorate memorial halls and write memorial messages through SNS sharing.

During the period of pre-reservation system operation, facility improvement construction is expected to cause parking shortages, so the mausoleum will control visitor vehicles. During the Chuseok holiday period, nearby public parking lots will be opened for free use and additional bus routes will be added.

An official from Suwon City stated, "Through the pre-reservation system and online memorial services, we will disperse the crowds of visitors and ensure that those paying respects can safely visit the mausoleum facilities by thoroughly implementing quarantine disinfection measures," and added, "Although there may be some inconveniences, we ask for your cooperation in following quarantine guidelines with the understanding that you are protecting your family's safety."