On the 9th, politicians continued to pay their respects for the second day at the funeral hall of the late Son Myung-soon, wife of former President Kim Young-sam (YS).
After Mrs. Son passed away on the afternoon of the 7th, her family set up the funeral hall at Seoul National University Hospital and have been receiving condolences since the morning of the previous day.
Former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, who visited the funeral hall that morning, said, "Mrs. Kim met President Kim Young-sam at a very young age and played a significant role as both spouse and comrade in democratization and the operation of a civilian government," honoring the deceased.
Following this, Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, paid his respects and stayed in the reception room for about 10 minutes. Rep. Ha recalled, "I was close to former President Kim after his retirement. He was very interested in North Korean issues, so I informed him about internal affairs, intelligence, and trends. At that time, I often visited Sangdo-dong and frequently met Mrs. Kim as well."
Rep. Ha added, "There are pros and cons, but the decisive reason we achieved a peaceful transfer of power and rapidly realized democracy was YS," emphasizing, "Mrs. Son always steadfastly supported him afterward, making that history possible."
Kim Moo-sung, a former lawmaker from the Sangdo-dong faction, also visited the funeral hall that day, serving as a chief mourner and welcoming visitors.
Former Prime Minister Lee Hong-gu and former Director of the Veterans Affairs Office Park Sang-beom also paid their respects in the morning.
Delwar Hossain, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Korea, also visited the funeral hall. In the condolence book, he wrote, "The Korean people will always remember Mrs. Son’s mature political system, her sacrifices, and valuable contributions toward democracy."
On the 8th, the funeral hall at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, was prepared as the mourning place for Son Myeong-sun, the wife of former President Kim Young-sam. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
Gu Ja-yeol, Chairman of the Board of LS Group, sent a wreath to express his condolences.
In the afternoon, former President Lee Myung-bak and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid their respects.
Former President Lee wrote in the condolence book, "I pray that she lives healthily and peacefully in heaven," while former Secretary-General Ban wrote, "Mrs. Son’s lifelong spirit of consideration, love, and dedication to democratization will be remembered for a long time."
After staying in the reception room for nearly an hour, former Secretary-General Ban recalled, "I served former President Kim as Chief of Protocol and Senior Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Security," adding, "Mrs. Son always gave a box of ginseng to the senior secretaries and told them to take good care of the President."
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon also visited the funeral hall.
Minister Yoo expressed his condolences, saying, "She will meet former President Kim, who went ahead to a better place. It is another world beyond words, so I hope she lived without worrying about the country."
Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, who visited the funeral hall late in the afternoon, described Mrs. Son as "someone who supported former President Kim and greatly contributed to democratization," then added, "The democracy they worked hard to build should develop further, but I wonder if we are doing well. We must do better from now on."
Other visitors who paid their respects included Lee Jae-oh, Chairman of the Democracy Movement Memorial Foundation; former Bareunmirae Party leader Sohn Hak-kyu; Lee Kyu-hee, a longtime neighbor of former President Kim and known as a 'little comrade'; and Jang Ki-pyo, Standing Representative of the Privilege Abolition Party (tentative name).
In the afternoon, a Christian-style encoffining ceremony was held under the watchful eyes of the bereaved family, including the chief mourner and second son Kim Hyun-chul, Chairman of the Kim Young-sam Presidential Memorial Foundation (Kim Young-sam Foundation); eldest grandson Kim Sung-min; and grandson Kim In-gyu, a pre-candidate for the National Assembly from the People Power Party in Busan’s West and East Districts.
Choi Dong-yeol, Secretary General of the Kim Young-sam Foundation, and Kim Sang-hak, Chief Secretary who accompanied Mrs. Son, stayed at the funeral hall throughout the day.
The funeral procession is scheduled for 8 a.m. on the 11th. Mrs. Son is expected to be buried alongside former President Kim at the National Seoul National Cemetery.
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