Dozens of relatives and dignitaries gathered in South Korea’s capital yesterday to pay their final respects to former South Korean president Roh Tae-woo, a key participant in a 1979 military coup who later won a landmark democratic election, before his political career ended with imprisonment for corruption and treason.
COVID-19 pandemic restrictions limited the size of funeral services for Roh, who died on Tuesday at the age of 88 from complications from various illnesses.
Doctors said that his condition had worsened over the past few years because of a degenerative disorder.
Photo: EPA-EFE
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s decision to hold a state funeral for Roh was controversial because of his links to the coup and a bloody suppression of democracy protesters in the southern city of Gwangju in 1980 that killed about 200 people and injured hundreds of others.
Gwangju and several other cities and provincial governments refused to raise flags half-mast or set up memorial altars for Roh in accordance with state funeral procedures.
Moon, who did not visit Roh’s memorial altar at a Seoul hospital before leaving for Rome on Thursday for meetings with Pope Francis and G20 leaders, said through his office that Roh made “significant contributions to national development despite many historical wrongdoings.”
On the final day of a five-day funeral procession, honor guards wrapped Roh’s coffin with the national flag and placed it into the back of a limousine.
The vehicle then rolled out of the hospital and followed a black convertible topped with a huge portrait of Roh in a motorcade that drove toward his house in northern Seoul.
Family members quietly toured the house, led by a grandson who carried a smaller portrait of Roh. Then they headed toward southern Seoul for a funeral service at a square at Olympic Park, a venue built for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games held during the first year of Roh’s presidency.
The funeral’s participants were limited to 50 people, including relatives, government officials, religious leaders and foreign diplomats.
Roh’s wife, Kim Ok-suk, and their two children, Roh Soh-young and Roh Jae-heon, sat quietly in chairs distanced apart, looking solemnly at the ground.
South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, told the ceremony that Roh Tae-woo would be remembered for his many accomplishments as president, including the successful hosting of the Olympics, expanding relations with communist nations and easing tensions with North Korea.
Kim also regretted that the late president never apologized in person over the coup and military atrocities, although his children conveyed his remorse while his health deteriorated.
“It’s undisputable truth President Roh Tae-woo has an immense fault that cannot be erased,” Kim said. “Attending the funeral service today, we realize that nobody is free from the [judgement] of history.”
Roh Tae-woo’s criminal convictions legally prevent him from being buried with other former leaders and national heroes at the country’s national cemetery. His cremated remains are to be kept at a Buddhist temple in Paju, north of Seoul, until his tomb is ready at nearby Paju Reunification Park, which was built during his presidency in 1989 as a symbol of peace between the two Koreas.
Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-sup, a member of Moon’s Democratic Party, said the city could not honor Roh, who was a core member of then-South Korean president Chun Doo-hwan’s military junta that massacred its citizens.
“He was the president of our country, and while it’s our traditional sentiment to mourn a person who died, Gwangju cannot do that” for Roh Tae-woo, Lee said on Wednesday.
Roh Tae-woo was a major player in the 1979 military coup that brought his long-time army friend Chun to power.
Their takeover came months after their mentor, then South Korean president Park Chung-hee, was assassinated by his spy chief following 18 years of rule.
Roh Tae-woo had been Chun’s hand-picked successor, but massive democracy protests in 1987 forced them to accept a direct presidential election, which initiated South Korea’s transition toward democracy.
Despite his military background, Roh Tae-woo crafted a softer image during the presidential campaign, calling himself an “average person.” He won a closely contested vote in December 1987, largely thanks to a split in liberal votes between opposition candidates, and served as president for five years.
After his successor, Kim Young-sam, investigated the coup and the crackdown in Gwangju, Roh Tae-woo was arrested, convicted of mutiny, treason and corruption and received a prison term of 22-and-a-half years.
Roh Tae-woo was in 1997 released under a special pardon requested by then South Korean president-elect Kim Dae-jung, who sought national reconciliation.
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