Co-Director Baek Nak-cheong: "He Left Us with Something to Study"
On the 13th, when the funeral ceremony of the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was solemnly held, the mayor's remains were being transported from the Seoul City Hall funeral hall to the memorial park. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The funeral ceremony for the late Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, was held on the morning of the 13th at Seoul City Hall. It was the first funeral of a Seoul Metropolitan Government head conducted according to the government protocol manual. Due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), only about 100 people, including family members, city hall employees, and politicians, attended the ceremony, which took place from 8:30 a.m. for about an hour.
The deceased's hearse, having completed the send-off at Seoul National University Hospital funeral hall, arrived at the plaza in front of Seoul City Hall at 7:47 a.m. Despite the rainy and gloomy weather, some citizens gathered near Seoul Plaza to witness Mayor Park Won-soon's final moments. More than 20,000 people visited the citizen memorial altar set up in front of City Hall over the weekend, and about 1.05 million people paid tribute at the online memorial altar.
Baek Nak-cheong, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University and co-chairman of the funeral committee, said in his eulogy at the funeral ceremony, "You have left us with new tasks and subjects to study. Your death itself has already brought about much reflection." He added, "Dear Wonsun, Mayor Park Won-soon, please depart peacefully receiving our condolences."
After the funeral ceremony, the bereaved family and attendees moved to the Seoul Memorial Park in Wonji-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. The deceased is scheduled to be cremated there and then interred at the family burial site in Seonsan, Changnyeong, Gyeongnam.
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