Background
as the military was established and its mission of national defense was carried out, soldiers killed in action due to local provocations by the North Korean People’s Army and counterinsurgency operations across regions were enshrined at Jangchungsa Temple in Seoul.
As the number of fallen soldiers gradually increased, however, the Army began discussing the establishment of a cemetery. In late 1949, the Personnel Division of the Army Headquarters began looking for candidate sites near Seoul, but the outbreak of the Korean War halted the project.
The remains of fallen soldiers from each regional front were temporarily enshrined at the Geumjeongsa and Beomeosa temples in Busan and managed by the Cemetery Registration Company of the Army Logistics Corps.
As fierce battles continued and the number of war casualties increased, the Army resumed discussions on establishing a military cemetery. The Personnel Division organized a survey team to inspect candidate sites—first in the Daegu area, then in Gyeongju. The Cheonbuk-Da’an area along a tributary of Hyeongsan River in Gyeongju was selected. Upon review by senior military leadership, however, it was found to be dispersed geographically,
and concerns over potential flooding led to the conclusion that another location should be considered, so the project was temporarily halted.
At a director-level meeting at the Ministry of National Defense, it was concluded that, if the Army alone established a cemetery, other military branches would follow suit, causing management inefficiencies and lack of uniformity in the handling of remains. Therefore, it was decided that the plan for an Army-only cemetery would be suspended, proceeding instead with a Joint Armed Forces Cemetery to be named “National Armed Forces Cemetery.”
On May 26, 1952, the Ministry organized a joint inspection team from the three branches of the military to select a site for the cemetery. Following the formation of the Military Cemetery Establishment Committee on November 3, 1952, a total of 7 inspections were conducted over 11 months from November 1952 to September 1953, covering 10 different regions.
As a result, the current location in Dongjak-dong was selected, and it was officially approved by President Syngman Rhee on September 29, 1953. Ground preparation began on March 1, 1954, with a burial area of 238,017 square meters developed over 3 years. Subsequently, additional plazas (99,174㎡), forest areas (912,400㎡), and administrative zones (178,513㎡) were constructed by the end of 1968.
The Armed Forces Cemetery Management Office was established to oversee operations, and a Presidential Decree on the Military Cemetery was promulgated on April 13, 1956 to provide an institutional framework for its operation. Under this system, deceased soldiers and military officials who died in the line of duty were interred. Additionally, patriotic martyrs and national heroes could be buried upon approval by the Cabinet.
For the proper handling of the large number of war casualties from the Korean War, eligibility for burial at the cemetery was expanded on March 30, 1965 through the National Cemetery Decree to include not only military personnel but also independence patriots, police officers, and members of the Homeland Reserve Forces. Thus, the cemetery became a sacred national site where citizens could honor those who made noble sacrifices for the country and contributed significantly to its development.
Furthermore, the “Act on the Establishment and Management of National Cemeteries” enacted by the National Assembly on July 29, 2005 officially changed the name of the cemetery in Dongjak-dong to “Seoul National Cemetery” and expanded eligibility for burial to include firefighters and persons of distinguished service to society.