May Organizations Express Regret Over State Funeral Decision for Late Former President No Tae-woo

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The May organizations expressed regret over the decision to hold the funeral of the late former President Roh Tae-woo as a state funeral.

The 5·18 Memorial Foundation and the May 3 organizations (Democratic Merit Family Association, Democratic Movement Injured Association, Detained Injured Association) announced this in a statement on the 27th.

They said, "The government decided on the morning of the 27th, after a Cabinet meeting, to hold the funeral of Roh Tae-woo, the first president elected by direct vote, as a state funeral," adding, "The state funeral is intended to honor the deceased’s achievements together with the people and to ensure proper respect."

They continued, "The State Funeral Act is intended for cases where a person who has made significant contributions to the nation and society passes away, so that the state holds the funeral to contribute to national unity," emphasizing, "The state funeral can be decided at the government's discretion and political judgment is also possible."

They argued, "The funeral expenses of a criminal who led the December 12 military coup, was an accomplice in the massacre of Gwangju citizens during May 18, and was sentenced to 17 years in prison and fined over 260 billion won for charges including treason and bribery, will be borne by the national treasury," adding, "It should have been a matter of quietly mourning one person’s death."

Furthermore, they stated, "We strongly regret the government’s decision to hold a funeral in the name of the state for a criminal who destroyed the nation’s constitution," and said, "As a key figure of the new military regime, he never directly apologized to the citizens of Gwangju and the people for the heavy responsibility he bore in the May 1980 massacre."

They also added, "In his memoir published in 2011, he even claimed that the cause of the May 18 Democratic Movement was that 'Gwangju citizens were misled by rumors,'” and said, "National unity, reconciliation, and forgiveness are possible only on the premise of sincere reflection and apology. The perpetrators of the massacre have never apologized to the citizens, and our citizens have never received an apology."