Cheong "No disagreement on Roh national funeral decision... Secretary General to offer condolences instead due to Moon's overseas trip" (Comprehensive)

The view of the Blue House from Namsan, Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Blue House stated that there were no disagreements in the decision process for the state funeral of former President Roh Tae-woo, and that Chief of Staff Yoo Young-min and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Cheol-hee will attend the condolence ceremony on behalf of President Moon Jae-in, who is on an overseas trip.

On the 27th, a Blue House official responded to reporters' questions about whether there were any disagreements during the advisory meeting on deciding the state funeral, saying, "There were no disagreements in deciding the state funeral."

President Moon will not attend the condolence ceremony in person due to his European tour. The official explained, "(The President) will depart for the tour tomorrow morning, and there are important multilateral summits at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. today," adding, "Therefore, the Chief of Staff and the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs will attend the condolence ceremony." When asked about the possibility of paying respects after the tour, the official said, "Regarding paying respects afterward, I cannot make any definitive statements at this time."

President Moon issued a condolence message related to former President Roh only in the afternoon of the day after his passing. Regarding this, a Blue House official said, "Yesterday, there was a National Assembly Steering Committee meeting, and today the funeral hall was officially set up," adding, "Various situational factors combined, leading to the release of the condolence message today."

The condolence message included both the faults of the coup and the achievements such as the promotion of the Northern Policy by former President Roh. When asked if this message was intended for national unity, the official refrained from commenting, saying, "Interpretation is up to the media and the public."

Some civic groups oppose the state funeral on the grounds that former President Roh was a key figure in the coup. A Blue House official explained, "We reviewed the statements issued by civic groups and considered various factors comprehensively and collectively."