SEOUL: The funeral ceremony for former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan was held Saturday (Jan 31) with the attendance of top dignitaries, including President Lee Jae Myung.
The late Hae-chan died Sunday (Jan 25) aged 73 while on a business trip to Vietnam after suffering cardiac arrest. His body was flown home Tuesday, beginning a five-day funeral period that saw large numbers of mourners paying tribute at his memorial altar at Seoul National University Hospital in the capital.
The funeral ceremony began at 9am at a conference hall on the National Assembly compound.
President Lee, first lady Kim Hea Kyung, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok sat in the front row with the bereaved family.
Others in attendance included ruling Democratic Party (DP) leader Jung Chung-rai, DP floor leader Han Byung-do, Deputy Assembly Speaker Joo Ho-young, and the leaders of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party and The Progressive Party.
Cho Jung-sik, special adviser to the president for political affairs, gave remarks in his capacity as head of the funeral committee, describing the former prime minister as "a great man of democracy" and "a politician representing an era."
Prime Minister Kim gave a eulogy, saying both democracy and the nation are "indebted" to the deceased.
"He defended democracy through torture and imprisonment and paved the way for his juniors to enter politics by demonstrating the competence of democratic forces," he said.
Fighting back tears, he described the former prime minister as a "role model" to whom he still had "lots to ask."
Woo also paid tribute to the late Lee by recalling the time they were jailed together in 1982 for taking part in pro-democracy protests against the authoritarian regime.
"The name Lee Hae-chan was itself the history of the Republic of Korea's democracy," he said.
Lee was a towering figure in South Korea's struggle for democracy who endured torture and imprisonment before serving seven terms as a lawmaker and advising multiple liberal presidents, including Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Moon Jae-in and Lee Jae Myung.
From 2004 to 2006, he served as prime minister under Roh.
At the time of his death, he was executive vice chairperson of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council.
Hae-chan's body will be cremated, and the ashes will be placed at an enshrinement hall in the central city of Sejong. - Yonhap
