"Last Prime Minister of Roh Moo-hyun Government Appears, 'Step Down'... Roh 14th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony"

Over 4,000 Citizens at Bongha Village on the 23rd
Ruling and Opposition Leaders, Former President Moon Jae-in and Spouse Attend
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo Booed and Shouted at on Stage

The 14th anniversary memorial service for the late former President Roh Moo-hyun was held on the 23rd at Bongha Village in Gimhae, Gyeongbuk. Despite the clear skies and blazing sunshine, about 4,000 citizens gathered at Bongha Village that day. Citizens who had gathered 30 minutes before the memorial service began wore yellow hats and held fans while sharing rice cakes. To secure seats at the front of the lawn square under the scorching sun, some opened yellow parasols and reserved their spots. The citizens filled a large paper set up at the entrance of Bongha Village with messages for former President Roh. Handwritten notes such as "President Roh Moo-hyun, we love you" and "Are you well? We miss you deeply" were densely written.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook attracted attention by attending the memorial service that day. Dressed in black suits, the former president and first lady entered the lawn square at the final stage together with Mrs. Kwon Yang-sook. When Mrs. Kwon appeared on the stage monitor, citizens stood up simultaneously, cheering and applauding. Voices of encouragement such as "Roh Moo-hyun, fighting!" and "Madam, please stay healthy" were heard. Mrs. Kwon and the former president and first lady sat side by side. In addition, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Jin-bok, former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation chairpersons Yoo Si-min, Han Myeong-sook, Lee Hae-chan, and current chairperson Chung Sye-kyun attended the memorial service.

Leaders from both ruling and opposition parties also appeared. Every time Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and other party members entered the lawn square, citizens erupted in loud cheers. When Lee entered, YouTubers holding phones flocked together, chanting "Lee Jae-myung!" Near the fence surrounding the VIP seats, a scuffle broke out between citizens trying to get closer and volunteers attempting to block them.

From the People Power Party, leader Kim Ki-hyun, Secretary-General Koo Ja-geun, and lawmaker Jung Jeom-sik attended. Unlike last year when former leader Lee Jun-seok was booed by supporters upon entering the memorial service, Kim’s entrance was quiet this time. Kim shook hands with Mrs. Kwon, Lee Jae-myung, and Lee Jung-mi, leader of the Justice Party, who were already seated, and sat down next to them. It is reported that Kim exchanged brief words with Mrs. Kwon, saying, "I’m sorry I haven’t seen you often. Please stay healthy."

However, disorder broke out during Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s memorial address. As Han stepped onto the stage, supporters shouted in unison, "Get down," and "What are you trying to do here?" The jeering continued throughout Han’s speech. Loud shouts such as "Resign Yoon Seok-youl" and "Go drink Fukushima water" were also heard. Roh Moo-hyun Foundation officials walked around the lawn square asking the jeering supporters to "please restrain themselves," but the disturbance did not easily subside.

In his memorial address, Prime Minister Han said, "The steps toward the 'Northeast Asia era of peace and prosperity' that the President dreamed of so much are continuing without pause," referring to Korea-Japan relations. Han stated, "As the President said, 'For the Northeast Asia era, we must first establish a higher level of cooperative relationship with our closest neighbor, Japan,' we are steadily moving forward to ignite the frozen Korea-Japan relationship and build a new order of peace and coexistence."

On the 23rd, citizens wearing yellow hats gathered at Bongha Village in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, for the 14th anniversary memorial service of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun.
Photo by Kim Young-won

Earlier, National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo expressed his will for political reform in his memorial address. Speaker Kim said, "President Roh Moo-hyun longed for a world where people live and political reform. These days, I often recall the political reform legacy left by the President," adding, "I believe completing the political reform legacy left by the President is my last task to solve." He also calmly introduced an anecdote about persuading former President Roh on the importance of the economy and about the former president and his wife visiting his office.

Meanwhile, Kim Ki-hyun also visited the birthplace of former President Kim Young-sam in Geoje, Gyeongnam, that morning. After touring the birthplace and the Kim Young-sam Memorial Exhibition Hall, Kim told reporters about the purpose of his visit: "I thought it would be a good opportunity to reflect again on the will of former President Kim, who laid the roots of our party," and explained, "He played a bigger role than anyone else in leading bold reforms such as eradicating the Hanahoe, implementing the real-name financial system, the real-name real estate system, and public officials’ asset registration, thereby creating today’s free Republic of Korea and a fair country. We came here to reaffirm our determination to inherit his will well and to make our People Power Party strive to build a country where fairness and common sense prevail for our people."

He also introduced the connection between his father and former President Kim. Kim said, "My father was a member of the Gyeongsang Province Council in 1960, and at that time, they belonged to the same party and shared political paths. When the May 16 military regime came in and the legislature was dissolved, my father led the anti-dictatorship movement to clear the authoritarian era, and former President Kim was at the forefront of that," adding, "Our family has long carried on the same political lineage as former President Kim, so we have a special affection for him more than anyone else."

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