S. Koreans gather for funeral of former President Roh

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- Amid tight security and a solemn atmosphere, a long
line of South Koreans encircled the stone walls of Seoul's most prominent ancient
palace early Friday morning for the funeral of former President Roh Moo-hyun.

Roh died Saturday at the age of 62, leaping from a mountainside precipice above
his rural hometown amid a bribery investigation that tarnished his legacy as an
anti-corruption fighter. He served as the country's leader from 2003 to 2008.
"We came to pray for his soul," a Catholic nun waiting outside Gyeongbok Palace
said. "I barely slept last night. Too many thoughts crossed my mind and I was
overtaken by emotions."
Some 60,000 South Koreans have turned out daily at makeshift altars in Seoul and
across the nation from morning to night. Nearly 400,000 people have visited a
memorial site in Roh's hometown Bongha, where the former president retired to
after leaving office in February last year.
"I can't believe a week has passed already, and he is really gone," said Lee
Han-bok, who came to attend the ceremony with his wife, leaving home at dawn to
avoid the crowd.
As a "people's funeral," the ceremony, beginning at 11 a.m., was to be attended
by some 3,000, including President Lee Myung-bak, former Presidents Kim Dae-jung
and Kim Young-sam, lawmakers, diplomats in Seoul as well as ordinary citizens who
received invitations.
A large screen placed in central Seoul was to broadcast the ceremony live for
those who could not enter the palace, the country's landmark historical site from
the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
Roh's funeral procession left his hometown Bongha at 5 a.m., some 450 kilometers
southeast of Seoul, as his wife, children and his closest confidants looked on
with members of his support group, club Nosamo, a Korean acronym for "people who
love Roh."
TV footage showed villagers weeping and praying as his hearse was carried on to a
convoy to head to Seoul. Onlookers flew yellow paper planes toward the convoy,
the color that symbolized Roh's presidential campaign.
Roh's body will be cremated after the funeral and the ashes will be taken back
for burial near Bongha, as he requested in a note left to family just before his
death.
Roh, a self-taught human rights lawyer and left-wing politician, strove during
his time in office to undo the polarization of wealth, authoritarianism and
regionalism that has plagued South Korea, while also pushing for reconciliation
with North Korea.
Just 15 months after he returned to Bongha Village to take up the life of a
farmer, breaking precedent with other former heads of state, Roh became mired in
a bribery scandal involving US$6 million he and his family allegedly received
from a wealthy businessman. Roh vehemently denied personal ties to the scandal.
In April, he became the third former president in the nation to appear before
prosecutors.
His supporters, accusing the Lee Myung-bak administration of a politically
motivated investigation against his predecessor, have flooded the Internet with
tributes to the late leader.
A funeral procession will be held from 1 p.m., stopping at the central Seoul
Plaza for a memorial rite to wish the deceased a peaceful repose. The procession
will be joined by 1,000 citizens chosen through the Internet.
It will continue on foot through the city for half an hour before heading to
Suwon, adjacent to Seoul, for cremation.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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