Korea Bids Solemn Farewell to Kim Dae-jung

A motorcade carrying the coffin of the late former President Kim Dae-jung passes by Seoul Plaza, adjacent to City Hall, Sunday, after a state funeral service at the National Assembly. Kim’s body was laid to rest at the National Cemetery in Dongjak-dong, southern Seoul. / Korea Times

Champion of Democracy Eulogized at State Funeral

By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

Tens of thousands of mourners gathered Sunday for the funeral of the late former President Kim Dae-jung (1924-2009) to pay a final tribute to the iconic statesman and inter-Korean peacemaker.

After a six-day mourning period, the first-ever state funeral for a former head of state began at 2 p.m. at the National Assembly's main grounds as national flags flew at half-mast nationwide.

The Nobel Peace laureate died Tuesday at the age of 85 from a month-long battle with pneumonia-related complications at a Seoul hospital.

An estimated 25,000 mourners, including former first lady Lee Hee-ho, family members, President Lee Myung-bak, foreign delegates and representatives from every walk of life, attended the 90-minute service.

The services started with an address from Lee Dal-gon, minister of public administration and security, chronicling Kim's life and accomplishments during a political career spanning over almost half a century.

Service Procedures

"You dedicated your entire life to the promotion of democracy, human rights, peace and inter-Korean reconciliation. History will make an everlasting note of your proud achievements," Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said in a eulogy.

"For a new era of national harmony, we will strive to terminate all forms of division and confrontation," Han added, in a reminder of Kim's last wish to see people of all regions, generations and ideologies united.

Park Young-sook, former vice chairwoman of the now-defunct Party of Peace and Democracy ―- which was led by Kim in the late 1980s ― delivered a tearful eulogy.

She highlighted Kim's dedication to the nation's struggle for democracy in the 1970s and '80s as well as the domestic and international legacy of his presidential term from 1998 to 2003.

"The Kim Dae-jung administration held the first-ever inter-Korean summit. For the first time in modern Korean history, Kim established government ministries for human rights, sustainable development and gender equality. Under his leadership, Korea became a leader in information technology," Park said.

She also recounted examples of "politics of reconciliation," which Kim practiced all his life, making peace with authoritarian leaders who had threatened his life and disturbed his cause for democracy with house arrests and imprisonment.

The services also included religious rites, a four-minute presentation of signature video footage, and a dedication of flowers and incense-burning from family members, the presidential couple and former Presidents Kim Young-sam and Chun Doo-hwan.

Additionally, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and former Japanese House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono bowed at the memorial altar in tribute with other leaders of foreign delegations.

The services were concluded with musical performances featuring Korean songs cherished by the late Kim.

Memorial Ceremony and Burial

Following the funeral services, Kim's coffin was taken to his residence in Donggyo-dong and the Kim Dae-jung Library founded in 2003.

Citizens watched as the car carrying his coffin drove through the capital's landmark venues, including Gwanghwamun, Seoul City Hall and Seoul Station, before burial at the National Cemetery in Dongjak-dong.

During a stop at Seoul Plaza adjacent to City Hall, former first lady Lee Hee-ho made a brief speech to the public to express her gratitude for the last tribute made by citizens to her husband of 47 years.

The DP held a two-hour ceremony at Seoul Plaza to honor the former President, with DP Chairman Chung Sye-kyun and Lee in attendance.

The funeral organizing committee headed by Prime Minister Han had initially sent out invitations to 24,000 guests. Thousands watched live TV broadcasts and continued to pay their respects at memorial altars set up nationwide and at Korean diplomatic missions abroad.

"We are thankful for the outpouring of support all over the world during the mourning period," Rep. Park Jie-won of the DP said on behalf of Kim's bereaved family.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton called Lee Hee-ho Sunday morning to convey his condolences for the man he and his wife, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, considered a "friend for life."

His body was laid to rest at the National Cemetery in Dongjak-dong, southern Seoul, alongside the graves of the nation's first president, Syngman Rhee, and President Park Chung-hee.

Legacy

Political analysts projected that the country's largest state funeral will be remembered for its role in easing the inter-Korean tensions that have arisen since the onset of the Lee Myung-bak administration in February 2008.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, with whom the late former President met during the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000 since the division of the Korean Peninsula, sent a six-member delegation.

"We have found profound solace in the positive signals of improvement in inter-Korean relations," Park, a former presidential chief of staff said, in particular reference to President Lee's meeting with the North Korean delegates Sunday morning.

It will also be marked as the country's first state funeral in 30 years. The highest form of tribute in the country was accorded only once before, to former president Park Chung-hee in 1979, after he was assassinated while in office.

In recognition of Kim's global standing as an activist for democracy, human rights and peace, a high-profile delegation from 11 countries, including Australia, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, paid their last tributes to the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the Assembly.

Kim was sworn in as the nation's 15th President on Feb. 25, 1998, at the Assembly, becoming the first opposition leader to take office.

jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr