Gov't, Roh's family agree on public funeral

SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- The funeral of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun,
who died on Saturday in an apparent suicide near his rural home, will be held in
the form of a nationally sponsored service after a seven-day mourning period,
government officials and Roh's family spokesman said Sunday.

Representatives of the government and the family have agreed to hold a "people's
funeral" for the late Roh, according to family spokesman Cheon Ho-sun.
Under current law, South Korea's former and incumbent heads of state are entitled
to a state or a people's funeral after their death.
After the funeral service, Roh will be laid to rest near his residence in Bongha
Village, Gimhae, about 450 kilometers south of Seoul, said Cheon, who served as
senior presidential secretary for public information during the Roh presidency.
Roh and his wife, Kwon Yang-sook, settled in Bongha Village following his
retirement in February 2008.
The former president, who was beleaguered by suspicions of bribery, jumped to his
death from a mountainside behind his home early Saturday morning, leaving a brief
suicide note to his family in which he asked his body be cremated and a small
stone monument be set up for him in the village.
Also Sunday, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said it plans to
set up official memorial altars at two sites in downtown Seoul -- the squares in
front of Seoul Station and the Seoul Museum of History.
"The government will first install memorial altars for the late Roh at two
locations in Seoul, to which the people can have easy access. It will
additionally open altars at other sites around the nation after consultations
with the Roh family," said a ministry official.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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