‘마지막 길’도 바뀐다…섬에 첫 추모관[목포MBC 뉴스데스크]

[Mokpo MBC News] ◀ Anchor ▶ A large-scale memorial hall is being built on Heuksando Island, located two hours away from Mokpo by boat. This project is being pursued in conjunction with the relocation of graves due to airport construction, and it is expected to alleviate funeral inconveniences for island residents. Reporter Moon Yeon-cheol reports. ◀ Report ▶ The site for the construction of the memorial hall is emerging above a low-lying plot of land. A one-story memorial hall capable of enshrining 3,200 remains is planned for this location, along with rest areas and reception rooms for bereaved families. This project is being pursued to relocate approximately 700 graves within the Heuksan Airport site in advance. ◀ INT ▶ Kim Hee-gyu, Head of Future Transportation Team, Sinan County “We initiated this project to facilitate the smooth progress of the Heuksan Airport construction by relocating those graves early in preparation for the groundbreaking of Heuksan Airport.” Amidst the shift in funeral culture toward cremation, it is unusual for such a large-scale memorial hall to be built on an island isolated from the mainland. Until now, residents faced significant burdens in terms of time and cost as they had to travel to the mainland, such as Mokpo, to hold funerals or enshrine remains. For descendants, managing graves on the island was also a difficult task. ◀ INT ▶ Lim Yu-taek, Resident of Heuksan, Sinan-gun “In the past, if someone passed away here, we had to either bury them or go to Mokpo to hold the funeral and then return. There were many difficulties, but with the establishment of this memorial hall, those procedural burdens will be greatly reduced...” The construction cost for the memorial hall is 2.8 billion won. Sinan-gun secured the budget and completed land acquisition last year, broke ground this past February, and aims for completion by the end of this year. Overcoming the distance and limitations of the island, a foundation is being established on Heuksando to take responsibility for life right up to the very end. This is Moon Yeon-cheol for MBC News.