By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
The administration is pushing for a revision to the law governing funerals for former heads of state and ``prominent'' social leaders to set up clear standards for state funerals, officials said Tuesday.
The move came after some conservatives protested the government's decision to conduct a state funeral for the late former President Kim Dae-jung, considering the role he played in promoting democracy, human rights and easing tension on the Korean Peninsula.
The law stipulates that the incumbent head of state can choose between the two types of funerals for ``a figure respected by the public.'' The government fully covers the expenses of state funerals, while it subsidizes public funerals.
Public funerals usually take place for those who served as president, prime minister, chief justice and first lady. The government held a public funeral for the late ex-President Roh Moo-hyun, who died in May, and had a national mourning period of seven days.
For former President Kim, however, the government offered a state funeral and shortened the mourning period to six days. Kim became the second South Korean to receive a state funeral after the late ex-President Park Chung-hee in 1979.
``Under the current law, there are no concrete rules on who is eligible for state funerals and when the funeral service should take place after someone dies," said a spokesman from the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. ``After Roh and Kim died, there were disputes between different ideological groups over funerals for them. That's mainly due to ambiguous rules."
After President Lee Myung-bak decided to offer a state funeral for Kim with a six-day mourning period, conservatives argued the funeral should be downgraded to a public funeral. On the other side, liberals called for a longer mourning period.
South Korea has three living former Presidents ― Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo and Kim Young-sam.