[앵커]
Roh Tae-woo, the 13th president, died last month at the age of 89.
The bereaved family temporarily placed the remains at Geomdansa Temple in Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, and planned to build a cemetery near the Unification Garden for burial.
The controversy over the selection of the cemetery has been prolonged as the local governments and the Korea Forest Service are unfavorable.
Let’s hear more details from a reporter who went to the scene. Reporter Cheol-hee Kim!
[기자]
Yes, I am at Geomdansa Temple in Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do.
[앵커]
Are the remains of the late Roh Tae-woo still temporarily enshrined?
[기자]
That’s right.
From Geomdansa Temple where I am from, you can see the Imjin River and the northern land.
For this reason, it is a place where displaced people often visit together with the Odusan Unification Observatory to appease their longing for their hometown.
Currently, the remains of the late Roh Tae-woo are enshrined here.
But this is a temporary place to stay.
As the deceased left a wish for peaceful unification in his will, the bereaved family has hoped to arrange a burial site near the Unification Garden.
However, due to the opposition of the local government, it was not easy to place it inside the Tongil Hill, and after that, he announced that he would purchase a 991㎡, 300 pyeong of national forest nearby.
In response, the situation is getting longer as the Korea Forest Service delays its decision, saying that there is no legal basis for selling the national forest to individuals.
The site is said to be a conservation area managed by the Korea Forest Service.
The conservation area cannot be sold because it cannot be used for any other purpose except in special cases such as the installation of public facilities such as military facilities or roads.
As the funeral of the late Mr. Roh Tae-woo is held as a national funeral, the government is with the government until preparing the funeral in accordance with the National Burial Law.
Currently, the government, Paju City, and the bereaved family are working together to finalize the procedure stipulated by the law, but it is difficult to find a solution, raising the possibility that the controversy will be prolonged.
Until now, this is YTN Kim Chul-hee from Geomdansa Temple in Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do.
YTN Kim Chul-hee (kchee21@ytn.co.kr)
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