[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] On the third day of the funeral for Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, on the 12th, visitors continued to pay their respects at the funeral hall of Seoul National University Hospital in Yeongeon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, where the funeral was held.
Among those who visited from 10 a.m. were Im Jong-seok, Special Advisor to the President for Foreign Affairs and National Security, Park Yong-man, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Choi Young-ae, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, and former Prime Minister Ko Gun.
Following this, the encoffining ceremony began at 12:30 p.m. The ceremony lasted about 50 minutes in the presence of Park’s son, Park Joo-shin, who returned from abroad the previous day, and other family members. After the ceremony, the number of mourners increased significantly. Novelist Jo Jung-rae, former Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon, Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo, Governor of Jeollanam-do Kim Young-rok, Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo, and Senior Secretary for Social Affairs at the Blue House Kim Yeon-myeong also visited the funeral hall.
From the Democratic Party of Korea, lawmakers Ahn Kyu-baek, Choi Jae-sung, and Woo Won-shik paid their respects. From the opposition, Jeong Yang-seok, Chairman of the Future United Party’s White Paper Production Special Committee, and former Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Byung-joon visited the funeral hall.
Despite the rainy and gloomy weather, the line of mourners stretched long outside the funeral hall. After paying his respects, novelist Jo Jung-rae told reporters, “I shared the same ideals with the deceased and participated in the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy from the beginning. It is tragic and regrettable that he left so suddenly. I pray for his peaceful rest.”
Former Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon said, “When I was Deputy Prime Minister, I had many discussions with him about Seoul city and government policies. He was very interested in local autonomy and decentralization, so we communicated and talked continuously. I came today to pray for his peaceful rest and to comfort his family.”
Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo said, “We discussed state affairs together and contributed to national development. It is very painful that such a tragic event happened suddenly. I prayed that he may rest in a good place.”
The leadership of the United Future Party has not officially paid respects, citing concerns about secondary harm to the victim, but individual lawmakers with personal connections visited the funeral hall.
After paying his respects, former Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Byung-joon told reporters, “Every death has its own meaning. It is a courtesy to take off one’s hat in front of death. Our society is deeply divided, and partisan logic often overshadows issues of right and wrong. I hope this incident will be the last of its kind in our society.”
Jeong Yang-seok, Chairman of the United Future Party’s White Paper Production Special Committee, said, “I had a personal relationship with Mayor Park, meeting him at local events. Since this is his final journey, I thought it was humanly proper to pay my respects.”
The funeral committee for Mayor Park announced at a briefing that on the 13th, after the departure ceremony at 7:30 a.m., the body will be moved to Seoul City Hall, where an online farewell ceremony will be held from 8:30 a.m. in the City Hall multipurpose hall. After the farewell ceremony, Mayor Park’s body will be cremated at Seoul Memorial Park and then moved to his ancestral burial site in Changnyeong, Gyeongnam, for interment.
Currently, only acquaintances and family members are allowed to pay respects at the funeral hall set up at Seoul National University Hospital, and the press and general public are not permitted to do so.
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