A former Asian head of state is laid to rest. He was a champion of democracy and should be considered as an icon of bravery in a country divided by ideology. 29
May 2009. The funeral procession for Roh Moo-hyun, the South Korean president who committed suicide, left Bongha, the village to which he retired, for the journey to Seoul.
As the hearse arrived in the capital, tens of thousands of supporters wearing yellow - his campaign colour - lined the streets.
The funeral was held at a former palace. Delivering the eulogy, Mr Han said Mr Roh had "spent his life fighting for human rights, democracy and the end of authoritarianism".
"We will strive to follow your last wishes for reconciliation, unity and a better nation," he said.
Crowds watched the service on a huge television screen. Then a public memorial rite was held at a grassy plaza outside City Hall.
"I am so sad. He was a president of the common people," Gum Young-Don, a 32-year-old accountant, told AFP news agency.
"Even if I did not support all his policies... he made great efforts to take care of the underprivileged and destroy authoritarianism in every corner of government."
"I think the former president was hunted by conservatives," said another mourner, housewife Lee Ae-ran.
Mr Roh's body will be cremated and his ashes taken back to Bongha.
Mr Roh - a human rights lawyer - came from a humble farming family but rose to the highest office on a platform of clean government and reconciliation with North Korea.
Last month, he was questioned over allegations that he had taken more than $6m in bribes from a wealthy shoe manufacturer, Park Yeon-cha, who was indicted in December on separate bribery and tax evasion charges.
The former president later apologised for the scandal. But last Saturday he threw himself from a mountain near his home after leaving a suicide note.
ROH MOO-HYUN
2003 - elected president
2004 - suspended by MPs, then reinstated by court
2008 - leaves office
Apr 2009 - quizzed for alleged bribery
23 May 2009 - dies while mountain climbing
BBC NEWS
CONDOLENCES TO THE KOREAN PEOPLES.
Photographic Print of trees silhouetted at sunset in Korea
No comments:
Post a Comment