Roh's funeral set for Friday at Seoul's ancient palace: official

SEOUL, May 25 (Yonhap) -- The funeral of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun
will take place at Gyeongbok Palace in downtown Seoul on Friday morning, a
committee of private and government officials handling his public funeral service
said Monday.

"Government officials and representatives of the Roh family have reached an
agreement to hold the late Roh's funeral in the front courtyard of Gyeongbok
Palace at 11 a.m. on May 29," Han Myeong-sook, a co-chair of the public funeral
committee, told reporters.
"With parts of the palace now under repair, details of the funeral will be
finalized tomorrow," said Han, who had served as prime minister during the Roh
presidency, which ended in February 2008.
Roh, who was 62, jumped to his death off a mountainside near his rural home in
Gimhae, about 450 km southeast of Seoul, on Saturday morning. He was under
investigation over allegations that he and his family took millions of dollars in
bribes from a local businessman known to be a financial supporter of the former
president.
Several hundreds of thousands people have already visited the altars set up at
Roh's home village, Bongha, and other places throughout the nation to mourn his
death.
Gyeongbok ("Shining Happiness") Palace, the main and largest palace of the Joseon
Dynasty (1392-1910), is located right in front of the presidential office, Cheong
Wa Dae.
Han made the remark after meeting with Minister of Public Administration and
Security Lee Dal-gon and other government officials to discuss detailed funeral
procedures.
Earlier in the day, the Roh family asked the government to hold the funeral in
Seoul instead of Bongha Village in the country's southeast.
"We concluded it is desirable to hold the service in Seoul so as many people as
possible may take part in the funeral," said Cheon Ho-sun, a spokesman for Roh's
family.
Roh's family agreed on Sunday to hold a "people's funeral" instead of a private
service, following a seven-day mourning period. Under the current law, South
Korea's former and incumbent heads of state are entitled to a state or people's
funeral. The latest people's funeral was held in the palace for late former
President Choi Kyu-ha in 2006.
After the funeral service, Roh will be laid to rest near his residence in Bongha
Village, said Cheon, who served as senior presidential secretary for public
information during the Roh presidency. In a note that Roh left before his death,
he asked that his body be cremated and a small stone monument be set up in his
home village.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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