Gyowon Life appoints funeral master behind 'Exhuma' as adviser

Gyowon Life has appointed Yoo Jae-cheol, head of the Korea Funeral Culture Institute and South Korea's first designated master of traditional funeral rites, as its adviser on funeral culture and service quality.

The company announced Tuesday it named Yoo to the advisory role to strengthen the expertise and quality management of its funeral services, in step with rising membership and the expansion of its Gyowon Yeum funeral hall network.

In the role, Yoo will advise on service quality at Gyowon Life and Gyowon Yeum funeral halls, lead professional training for funeral directors, develop funeral culture content, and work to improve funeral practices more broadly.

Gyowon Life said it plans to incorporate Yoo's more than 30 years of hands-on experience into its funeral director training curriculum and service operating procedures. The focus will be on reducing inconsistencies at customer touchpoints and raising the standard of funeral ceremony management.

Yoo was designated South Korea's first master of traditional funeral rites in 2017. He has participated in state funeral ceremonies for former presidents Choi Kyu-hah, Roh Tae-woo, Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, and has overseen burial arrangements for the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, the late CJ Group Chairman Lee Maeng-hee and the late entertainer Song Hae, among other prominent figures.

Yoo also served as a funeral consultant on the film "Exhuma" and is widely regarded as the real-life model for the funeral director character portrayed by actor Yoo Hae-jin.

"We will raise the quality of funeral services at Gyowon Life and Gyowon Yeum on the strength of Master Yoo Jae-cheol's experience and expertise," a company official said. "We will bring his philosophy and know-how to the service floor to deliver professional funeral services to our customers."