Ihan-dong's Funeral Home on Second Day... Hong Jun-pyo "A Gentle Person", Na Kyung-won "Symbol of Inclusion"

Independent lawmaker Hong Jun-pyo is paying his respects at the funeral hall set up for the late former Prime Minister Lee Han-dong at Konkuk University Hospital in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on the 10th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] A procession of politicians from both ruling and opposition parties continued to pay their respects at the funeral hall of the late former Prime Minister Lee Han-dong. Lee was a representative figure of the conservative camp and remained in the prime minister position even after the collapse of the DJP (Kim Dae-jung?Kim Jong-pil) coalition government during the Kim Dae-jung administration.

Independent lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo visited the funeral hall early in the morning and recalled, "As a politician, his nickname was 'Dan-kal' (meaning 'sharp sword'), but personally, he was a very gentle person," adding, "He was especially kind to his juniors."

Former lawmaker Seo Cheong-won said, "He was the one who held early morning meetings every day after the merger of the three parties," and mourned, "Thinking about how he used to drink from a large soju glass (daepo), he should have lived at least ten more years..."

Former Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil described him as "a person who pursued bold politics and was a pioneer in practicing centrism and pragmatism," while former lawmaker Na Kyung-won called him "a politician needed in this era of rampant conflict politics, a symbol of inclusion."

At the funeral hall that day, former National Assembly Speakers Park Hee-tae and Moon Hee-sang, former Prime Ministers Lee Soo-sung and Kim Hwang-sik, and former Blue House Chief Secretary Han Kwang-ok paid their respects. Visits from ruling party figures such as lawmaker Kim Jin-pyo also continued. From the People Power Party, lawmakers Park Dae-chul and Song Seok-jun, former lawmakers Chung Mong-joon, Lee In-je, Won Yoo-chul, Oh Shin-hwan, and Kim Hoe-sun, as well as former ministers Maeng Hyung-kyu and Kim Hee-jung, attended the condolence. Kim Ki-hyun, acting leader of the People Power Party, and Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, are also scheduled to visit the funeral hall in the afternoon.

Business leaders also made visits one after another. HDC Group Chairman Chung Mong-gyu, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-yeol, Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun, and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo were among those who paid their respects. Xing Haiming, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, also visited the funeral hall to offer condolences.

The late former Prime Minister Lee passed away on the 8th due to an illness. The funeral procession will be held at 6 a.m. on the 11th, and the burial site is Daejeon National Cemetery.

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