Park Funeral Committee, Reason for Holding 'Seoul Special Mayor' Title: "To Reflect Nationwide Mourning"

Reason for Holding the 5-Day Market "Late Discovery of the Body, Time Needed for Children's Return... Simple Tone Remains Unchanged"
"One-Sided Claims About the Deceased Are Spreading, Defamation of the Deceased... Will Respond Strictly"

On the morning of the 10th, Park Hong-geun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, spoke on behalf of the bereaved family in front of the funeral hall at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where the late Mayor Park Won-soon's funeral was held. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] The funeral committee for Park Won-soon stated that the reason for holding the funeral as the 'Mayor of Seoul Special City' was "to embody the people's mourning hearts." Regarding the decision to hold a five-day funeral, they cited the late-night discovery of the deceased's body and the fact that his children were returning to Korea.

On the afternoon of the 11th, Park Hong-geun, co-executive chairman of the Park Won-soon Seoul Mayor Funeral Committee, held a press conference at the Seoul National University Hospital funeral hall where Mayor Park's body lay in repose, saying, "As announced, the funeral will be held over five days, with the departure and farewell ceremony scheduled for the morning of the 13th."

Regarding the reason for holding the funeral as the Mayor of Seoul Special City, he said, "We are well aware of the various issues surrounding the deceased's death. However, please understand that we have no choice but to embody the outpouring of mourning hearts from countless people nationwide who wish to commemorate the deceased's life through the funeral procedures."

He also explained the position on holding a five-day funeral, saying, "In accordance with the deceased's simple and frugal life and wishes, the bereaved family had considered a three-day funeral. However, since the deceased's body was discovered late at night and a day had already passed, and because the return of close family members staying overseas required time, it was unavoidable to extend the funeral period."

He continued, "As children, we believe people will understand the desire to see the deceased's final journey. The funeral will remain modest and simple." Regarding the reason for setting up a memorial facility at Seoul City Hall Plaza, he said, "We considered an indoor installation but took into account social distancing measures for COVID-19."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The funeral committee chairpersons will be Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Baek Nak-cheong, professor emeritus at Seoul National University, and Seo Jeong-hyeop, the first deputy mayor of Seoul. The departure will be at 7:30 a.m. on the 13th, and the farewell ceremony will be held at Seoul City Hall at 8:30 a.m. Chairman Park explained, "At the City Hall farewell ceremony, the deceased will make a final farewell by touring the Seoul City Hall area where he served for nearly nine years. At 9:30 a.m., the procession will depart for Seoul Memorial Park for cremation."

Chairman Park also warned that they would respond strictly to the spread of allegations about Mayor Park online. He said, "Although concerns were expressed yesterday, one-sided claims or unverified information about the deceased are still spreading. Yesterday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated that they would respond strictly according to law and principles to the dissemination of unverified information online." He added, "In particular, the defamation of the deceased's honor shown by the YouTube channel 'Garo Sero Research Institute' at the presumed place of death is shocking. Malicious speculative posts are damaging the deceased's reputation, causing immense pain to the bereaved family. We earnestly ask that such actions be stopped."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.