Gov't, bereaved family discuss Kim's funeral arrangements

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- The government and the bereaved family of the late
former President Kim Dae-jung are consulting on arrangements for his funeral,
officials said Tuesday.

The two sides are also discussing where to bury Kim's body, most likely at either
the National Cemetery in Seoul or in Daejeon, about 160km south of the capital,
they added.
President Lee Myung-bak ordered relevant officials to make full preparations for
the funeral to reflect the people's mourning for the man whom he called a "great
political leader."
"The format and procedures of the funeral will be decided today or tomorrow
through discussions at a Cabinet meeting on the basis of the bereaved family's
position and public opinion," said an official at the Ministry of Public
Administration and Security, which is in charge of the funeral.
Under a related law, a "state funeral" or a "people's funeral" is usually offered
to a former president.
A state funeral entails up to nine days of mourning fully sponsored by the
government. National flags are flown at half-mast throughout the period, and the
funeral day is declared a national holiday.
A state funeral was held only once in the country's modern history, when
President Park Chung-hee was assassinated while in office in 1979.
In a people's funeral, the government pays for part of the costs and national
flags are hung at half-mast only on the final day of the seven-day mourning
period. The funeral day is not a national holiday.
Most recently, a people's funeral was given to former President Roh Moo-hyun, who
committed suicide in May.
Once the details are decided, the government, aides, and the bereaved family will
form a committee.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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