Former President Roh Tae-woo’s funeral 88 Yeongmyeon at Olympic Park

The late former President Roh Tae-woo passed away on the 30th after the observance of the funeral ceremony for the head of state.

The funeral ceremony for former President Roh was held at 11 a.m. on the same day at the Peace Square in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul to commemorate the ’88 Seoul Olympics during his tenure.

The number of guests at the funeral of former President Roh was minimized to less than 50, including bereaved relatives and relatives, members of the funeral committee, key national figures and diplomatic corps in Korea.

Prior to the funeral, he visited the private residence in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, where the deceased lived, and spent his old days. The bereaved family performed frugally at their home, according to the wishes of the deceased.

At the funeral that followed, silence was paid to the deceased, followed by a biography report by Jeon Hae-cheol, the head of the funeral executive committee, Minister of Public Administration and Security, an investigation by Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom, chairman of the funeral service, and a memorial address by former Prime Minister Roh Jae-bong at the time of the 6th anniversary of the funeral.

At the funeral, the rituals of the four major religions were held in that order: Buddhism, Christianity, Catholicism, and Won Buddhism.

At the end of the funeral ceremony, the 3rd Army Unified Squadron Fired Firearms.

◇ Kim Bu-gyeom “It should be a place of reflection on the way to the history of reconciliation and integration”

Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom said at the funeral that day, “Today’s funeral should be a place to mourn the deceased and a place for reflection on a new history, a history of truth, and a history of reconciliation and unity.”

Prime Minister Kim mentioned the achievements of former President Roh, such as the successful hosting of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, northern diplomacy, the preparation of an electricity for inter-Korean relations, and the introduction of the concept of land disclosure.

“Despite the many achievements of the deceased during his tenure as president, we are unable to mourn today because there are still many tasks left to be solved by our community.”

Prime Minister Kim said, “The funeral of former President Roh is being held as a national funeral. What moved our hearts was that the deceased expressed his apology and forgiveness for past mistakes to the people through his will.”

He continued, “The president’s family visited the May 18 Gwangju Community Cemetery several times and asked for forgiveness,” he said. did.

“I realize once again the stern fact that no one can be free in the face of history. I fully understand the sentiments of the people who oppose the head of state. We know that no apology can comfort all the spirits who were sacrificed in the 5/18 and democratization process,” he emphasized.

◇ Roh Jae-bong “Korean politics chaos, opportunity to participate in the first six-year government function”

On the other hand, former Prime Minister Roh Jae-bong said in his eulogy, “(For the first-generation regulars, including former President Roh Tae-woo), Korean politics was perceived as a mess with no national defense awareness.” It was a time to do it,” he said.

Former Prime Minister Roh said, “Your Excellency and your colleagues were the first graduates of the 6th class. They not only learned the military spirit and national defense consciousness with their lives as collateral, but were the first in modern Korean society where the illiteracy rate of the people was almost 80%. They are elites who have experienced civilization and grafted it into Korea.”

He continued, “It may be said that this (participation in the governing function) was the fate of these first-generation officers.” He added, “It was the background of saying, ‘I am the last president from the military,'” he said. added.

Although these remarks were made in reminiscent of the deceased’s lifetime, controversy is expected because it can also be viewed as defending the birth of a military regime and the legitimacy of the military dictatorship.

Former Prime Minister Roh also referred to his nickname, ‘Water Tae-Woo’ during the former President Roh’s presidency. I thought it was going to break,” he recalled.

The ‘June 29 Democracy Declaration’ was evaluated as “a declaration that confirms the changes in the social structure of Korea that have led to the founding ideology of President Syngman Rhee, the success of industrialization of President Park Chung-hee, and the achievement of the surplus economy of President Chun Doo-hwan.”

◇ Controversy over the head of state continues… civil society opposition

Outside the funeral ceremonies that day, protests by civic groups against the decision of the head of state continued, leading to confrontation with the police.

The youth online joint action is ‘The main culprit of the Gwangju Massacre! He was stopped by the police while holding a sign that read ‘I am against the head of state Roh Tae-woo’.

They moved to Mongchontoseong Station on Subway Line 8 and held a press conference, criticizing the decision of the Moon Jae-in government as “clear betrayal of the Gwangju People’s Uprising.”

Regarding former President Roh, he argued, “I am responsible for the massacre that took place at the time, and the Roh Tae-woo administration manipulated the public security incident to suppress the student movement and destroy the labor union.”

[ 경기신문 = 편지수 기자 ]