When someone passes in a Korean family, the first message that reaches relatives and friends is often a 부고 (a notice of a passing). It is short, formal, and carries only what the community needs to gather.
What a 부고 holds
A traditional 부고 (passing notice) names the person who has died, the 상주 (the chief mourner, usually the eldest child), and the times and places of the 빈소 (the wake room where mourners are received) and the 발인 (the procession that carries the deceased to burial). Nothing more is expected of it.
부고는 조용해야 합니다.
A death notice should be quiet — it carries news, not sentiment.
How families share it today
Korean-American families still send a 부고 (passing notice) the moment arrangements are set — now most often through a family group chat rather than a printed card. The words stay formal even when the medium is a phone.
Why the form matters
Keeping the 부고 (passing notice) spare is itself an act of respect: it lets those who receive it know exactly where to be, without asking the grieving to explain more than they can.