President Yoon on Jang Gi-pyo's Passing: "A Model of the Era through Labor and Democratization Movements"

"Remembering and Honoring the Deceased's Will"

On the afternoon of the 22nd, a funeral wreath from President Yoon Seok-yeol was placed at the funeral hall of Jang Ki-pyo, director of the Shinmyeong Policy Research Institute, set up at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 22nd expressed, upon hearing the news of the passing of Jang Gi-pyo, a veteran civic activist and director of the New Civilization Policy Research Institute, that "Mr. Jang Gi-pyo was a true role model who protected our era through labor and democratization movements."

On the same day, President Yoon conveyed his condolences, saying, "I will not forget and will remember the will of Mr. Jang Gi-pyo," according to a written briefing by Presidential Office spokesperson Jeong Hye-jeon.

The president added, "I pray for the deceased's happiness in the afterlife and extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family."

Director Jang, born in 1945, devoted himself to democratization and labor movements during his time at Seoul National University Law School, inspired by the self-immolation incident of labor activist Jeon Tae-il, and subsequently endured nine years of imprisonment through multiple incarcerations and releases.

After founding the Minjung Party in 1990, he mainly engaged with progressive parties and ran for the National Assembly seven times but was unsuccessful each time. In the 21st general election, he ran as a candidate for the United Future Party, the predecessor of the People Power Party. Last year, he co-founded and served as co-representative of the "People's Movement Headquarters for the Abolition of Parliamentary Privileges," advocating for the abolition of parliamentary privileges.