Former President Roh Tae-woo's 'State Funeral' Faces Strong Backlash from Gwangju and Jeonnam

Gwangju City and Jeonnam Province Decide Against 'Early Flag Raising and Memorial Altars Installation'

Democratic Party, Justice Party, May Organizations, and Civic Groups Express Regret

Former President Roh Tae-woo passed away at the age of 89. On the 27th, mourners paid their respects at the funeral hall of Seoul National University Hospital, where the funeral was held. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] As the funeral of the late former President Roh Tae-woo was decided to be a 'state funeral,' various sectors in Gwangju and Jeonnam simultaneously expressed their regrets.

The Gwangju Metropolitan City and Jeonnam Province refused 'lowering the flags to half-mast' and 'setting up memorial altars,' and political circles and civic groups are also strongly opposing it.

On the 27th, the Democratic Party of Korea's Gwangju-area lawmakers announced their opposition to the state funeral honors and burial in the National Cemetery for former President Roh.

Lawmakers Min Hyung-bae, Song Gap-seok, Yoon Young-duk, Lee Byung-hoon, Lee Yong-bin, Lee Hyung-seok, and Cho Oh-seop said, "Roh Tae-woo is only one of the main perpetrators of the May 18 massacre," adding, "If a massacre perpetrator without sincere apology and repentance is honored with a state funeral, we cannot talk about democracy and justice in this country to future generations."

They continued, "There are presidential candidates who praise Chun Doo-hwan, and May 18 is still being mocked, which is because the proper historical condemnation of Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo has not been completed," and stated, "We oppose the state funeral of Roh Tae-woo, whose historical condemnation is not yet complete."

The May 18 Memorial Foundation and the May 3 organizations (Democratic Merit Family Association, Democratic Movement Disabled Veterans Association, Detained and Injured Association) also issued a statement that day.

They emphasized, "The funeral expenses of a criminal who led the December 12 military coup, was an accomplice in the massacre of Gwangju citizens during May 18, and was sentenced to 17 years in prison with a fine of about 260 billion won for charges including treason and bribery, are being borne by the national treasury," adding, "It should have been a matter of quietly mourning one person's death."

Furthermore, they said, "We strongly regret the government's decision to hold a funeral in the name of the state for a criminal who destroyed the nation's constitution," and "As a key figure of the new military regime, he never directly apologized to the Gwangju citizens and the people for the heavy responsibility he bore for the May 1980 massacre."

They also added, "In his memoir published in 2011, he even claimed that the cause of the May 18 democratization movement was that Gwangju citizens were misled by rumors," and "National unity, reconciliation, and forgiveness are possible only on the premise of complete reflection and apology. The perpetrators of the massacre have never apologized to the citizens, and our citizens have never received an apology."

The Justice Party also issued a statement demanding the cancellation of the state funeral decision, saying, "No matter how much a former president is, it is difficult to justify honoring a person who has been sentenced to imprisonment or higher for crimes of rebellion or treason with a state funeral," and "It is a historically proven fact that the deceased, along with Chun Doo-hwan, led the national rebellion and carried out the May 18 Gwangju massacre."

They questioned, "Will the government judge Chun Doo-hwan by the same standard? This decision by the government will set a precedent and standard for former presidents Chun Doo-hwan, Lee Myung-bak, and Park Geun-hye, who were stripped of their honors due to guilty verdicts."

The Gwangju Civic Society Council also expressed regret, saying, "We want to ask the Moon Jae-in administration whether Roh Tae-woo is a 'person who left remarkable meritorious service to the state or society and is revered by the people' to be eligible for a state funeral," and "It is tantamount to giving a pardon to the perpetrators who distorted the truth and never repented."

The Gwangju branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union and the May 18 People's Uprising Event Commemoration Committee also issued statements demanding the cancellation of the state funeral honors for former President Roh.

Gwangju City and Jeonnam Province refused to lower flags to half-mast and set up memorial altars during the funeral period.

The State Funeral Act stipulates that flags must be lowered to half-mast during the state funeral period and memorial altars can be set up.

However, considering the feelings of the May 18 victims and the citizens of the city and province, they announced that they would neither lower flags to half-mast nor set up memorial altars.

Meanwhile, earlier that day, the government decided to hold the funeral of former President Roh as a state funeral. However, burial in the National Cemetery was not to be conducted.

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