Condolences Continue on the Third Day at No Tae-woo's Funeral Hall... Memorial Service Tomorrow

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] On the third day of the funeral for the late former President Roh Tae-woo on the 29th, visitors continued to pay their respects. From the morning, ambassadors from various countries including Mexico, Serbia, Singapore, Laos, and Italy visited the Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where the funeral hall is located. Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party and former Blue House economic chief under the Roh Tae-woo administration, visited the funeral hall for the third consecutive day. Kim said, "Since he was someone I served, I am coming to pay my respects until he departs."

The farewell ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on the 30th at the Peace Plaza in Seoul Olympic Park, and the remains will be enshrined at Geomdanssa Temple in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Although the burial site was originally planned to be the Unification Hill in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, as requested by the bereaved family, it will be temporarily enshrined at Geomdanssa due to the time required to prepare the burial grounds. The funeral committee overseeing the five-day state funeral was organized with a total of 352 members, considering COVID-19 prevention measures. This is about one-sixth the size of the 2,222-member funeral committee for former President Kim Young-sam's state funeral in 2015.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum serves as the funeral committee chairman, with advisors composed of key figures from the five branches of government, political party leaders, and religious organization representatives. The bereaved family’s funeral committee includes Donggyodong faction figures such as former lawmakers Chung Dae-chul and Han Kwang-ok, as well as Sangdo-dong faction members Choi Hyung-woo and Kim Deok-ryong. Metropolitan government heads are also included in the funeral committee, but local leaders from Jeonnam and Jeonbuk regions were excluded. Superintendent of Education Cho Hee-yeon also declined to participate.