Lee Haechan Returns; Welcomed by Kim Minseok and Jeong Cheongrae... Five-Day Social Funeral to Be Held

Transported on Korean Air flight this morning
Democratic Party leaders and government officials attend
Memorial ceremony held at Incheon Airport tarmac
Funeral jointly organized by National Unification Advisory Council and Democratic Party
Jeong Cheongrae and other party leaders serve as chief mourners
Funeral hall open for visitors from noon today

The body of former Prime Minister Lee Haechan, who passed away during a business trip to Vietnam, was transported to Korea on Korean Air flight KE476 on the morning of the 27th and arrived at the funeral hall of Seoul National University Hospital. The leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea will stand vigil at the funeral hall and serve as chief mourners.

The body of former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, who passed away during a business trip in Vietnam, arrived at Incheon International Airport on the 27th and is being transported. Photo by Airport Press Photographers Group

Korean Air flight KE476, carrying the body of the former prime minister, departed from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and landed at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 at approximately 6:53 a.m. on the same day, after a flight of 4 hours and 30 minutes. The bereaved family, as well as Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Jeong-sik, Special Political Advisor to the President, and fellow party members Lee Jaejeong, Kim Youngbae, Kim Hyun, Lee Haesik, Jeong Taeho, and Choi Minhee, also returned to Korea together.

Kim Minseok, the Prime Minister and permanent funeral committee chair, Jeong Cheongrae, the Democratic Party leader and permanent joint funeral committee chair, Han Byungdo, the floor leader, as well as other Democratic Party leaders, Jeong Dongyoung, Minister of Unification and a friend of the former prime minister for 55 years, Yoon Hojoong, Minister of the Interior and Safety, Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, and Shin Jangshik, Supreme Council member, arrived at the airport around 6:00 a.m. to witness the transportation of the body. At approximately 7:13 a.m., with a 20-member military honor guard, including a military band, standing in formation, the coffin of the former prime minister was unloaded from the plane. The coffin was draped in a large Taegeukgi, just as it had been when it was loaded in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaker Woo Wonsik and Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, among others, are receiving the body of former Prime Minister Lee Haechan at Incheon International Airport on the 27th. Photo by Airport Photographers Group

The memorial ceremony began at the tarmac at around 7:35 a.m. As the welcoming party lined up on either side of the coffin and observed a moment of silence, the honor guard played a funeral march for about five minutes, moving the coffin step by step. The welcoming party followed the honor guard with solemn expressions, and as the coffin was loaded into the hearse, they bowed their heads in salute.

Lee Haesik, the lawmaker who stayed by the former prime minister's side in Vietnam during his final moments, told reporters at the airport, "He dedicated his entire life to public service, and seeing him fulfill his public duties until the very end reminded me once again of his public-mindedness, something he always emphasized during his life. We have resolved to carry on the legacy he left behind."

The body of former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, who passed away during a business trip in Vietnam, arrived and was carried at the funeral hall of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 27th. Joint coverage

The funeral is jointly organized by the National Unification Advisory Council and the Democratic Party of Korea. It will be held as an official and social funeral for five days, from today through the 31st, and visitors may pay their respects starting at noon today. During the funeral period, Democratic Party leaders, including Jeong Cheongrae, will stand vigil at the funeral hall and serve as chief mourners. The permanent funeral committee chair is Prime Minister Kim Minseok, while Baek Nakcheong, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, and Jeong Cheongrae will serve as permanent joint funeral committee chairs representing civil society and political parties. As joint funeral committee chairs, they will invite leaders of each political party and prominent figures from various sectors of society.

Former Prime Minister Lee served as prime minister during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. He was a veteran politician, having been elected to the National Assembly seven times, and was considered a political mentor to President Lee Jaemyung. In October of last year, he was appointed as the Executive Vice Chairperson of the National Unification Advisory Council, a ministerial-level position. He visited Vietnam to attend the Asia-Pacific Regional Executive Meeting of the National Unification Advisory Council, but suffered a myocardial infarction on the 23rd. Although he received treatment at a local hospital, his condition deteriorated, and he passed away locally at 2:48 p.m. (4:48 p.m. Korean time) on the 25th at the age of 73.