15th Anniversary of Roh's Passing... Lee Jae-myung: "We Will Not Forget Roh Moo-hyun's Spirit"

Politics Gather at Gimhae Bongha-ro

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 23rd, the 15th anniversary of the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun, “We will not forget the spirit of Roh Moo-hyun, who never gave up hope that politics could change the lives of the people despite any difficulties.”

On the morning of the 22nd, one day before the 15th anniversary of former President Roh Moo-hyun's passing, a citizen is looking at past photos of the former president in Bongha Village, Jinyeong-eup, Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Lee said on his Facebook, “I have always followed the path first opened by President Roh Moo-hyun to come this far,” adding, “I will recall the intense life of the President whenever I feel tired and shaken.”

He said, “Missing someone means that you remain deeply within me somewhere,” and “The longing for President Roh Moo-hyun has grown into courage and hope for a better world in our hearts.”

He continued, “The President left the words, ‘Today’s practice is tomorrow’s history.’ That was truly the case,” and added, “Because of President Roh Moo-hyun’s steps, who believed in the ‘organized power of awakened citizens’ and boldly led the way, and because of the ‘Roh Moo-hyun spirit’ that fiercely confronted authoritarianism, regionalism, and vested interests, our sometimes regressive democracy has come this far.”

He went on, “Thus, we live in an ‘era of Roh Moo-hyun without Roh Moo-hyun,’” emphasizing, “From the era of participatory politics created together by awakened citizens to the path of a ‘party-centered mass party,’ we may not have reached it yet, but it is the future we must inevitably pursue.”

Meanwhile, the 15th anniversary memorial service for former President Roh will be held at 2 p.m. on the same day at the presidential tomb in Bongha Village, Jinyeong-eup, Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province, and at the special stage in the nearby Ecological Culture Park. The memorial service will be attended by the late President’s wife Kwon Yang-sook and family members, former President Moon Jae-in, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Hong Cheol-ho, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs of the Presidential Office from the government side, and Hwang Woo-yeo, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, among others, who will visit Bongha Village to pay tribute.

From the Democratic Party, all 22nd general election winning lawmakers, including Lee Jae-myung, will attend the memorial service to honor the spirit of Roh Moo-hyun. Following signs of internal factional strife after the last Speaker of the National Assembly election, it is analyzed that the Democratic Party will use this memorial service attendance as an opportunity to strengthen internal unity.

Leaders from the opposition camp, including Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, all 22nd general election winning lawmakers of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, Kang Eun-mi of the Justice Party, Yoon Jong-oh, floor leader of the Progressive Party, and Han Chang-min, co-leader of the Social Democratic Party, will also gather. Former Governor of Gyeongnam Province Kim Kyung-soo, who went to study in the UK last August and temporarily returned on the 19th of this month, will also attend the memorial service on this day.