Late Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan to be cremated Jan. 31, laid to rest in Sejong

A Mugunghwa Medal, South Korea’s highest civilian honor, is placed at the memorial altar for late Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan at Seoul National University Hospital’s funeral hall in Seoul on Jan. 27. (Yonhap)

Late Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, who died while on a business trip to Vietnam on Jan. 25, will be laid to rest in Sejong City after a funeral procession and memorial service on Jan. 31.

Lee Hae-sik, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party who serves as vice chair of the funeral committee’s executive body, told reporters at the funeral hall at Seoul National University Hospital on Tuesday about the planned schedule.

According to Lee, the funeral procession will begin at 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 31. The cortege will then visit the office of the National Unification Advisory Council and the Democratic Party headquarters for farewell rites.

A memorial service will be held at 9 a.m. at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building, followed by cremation at 11 a.m. at Seoul Memorial Park in Seocho-dong. The cortege will then visit the deceased’s home in Jeondong-myeon, Sejong, before burial at Sejong’s Eunahsu Park.

Explaining the choice of burial site, Lee Hae-sik said, “Both his father and mother (graves) are at Eunahsu Park,” adding, “It was his wish to go to Eunahsu Park. He was also advised to consider a national cemetery, but we decided to lay him to rest at Eunahsu Park in line with the family’s wishes.”

Born in 1952 in Cheongyang, South Chungcheong province, Lee graduated from Seoul National University and entered politics after winning a seat in the 13th general election in 1988 in Seoul’s Gwanak-eul district.

He served seven terms in the National Assembly. Under the Kim Dae-jung administration, he served as education minister, and under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, he served as prime minister. During the Moon Jae-in administration, he led the Democratic Party and oversaw the party’s record victory of 180 seats in the 21st general election.

After stepping down as party leader in August 2020, he announced his retirement from politics. While serving as a senior vice chair of the National Unification Advisory Council, he collapsed from a heart attack on Jan. 23 during a trip to Vietnam and was treated at a local hospital. He did not regain consciousness and died at 73.

The funeral’s official name was set as the “State Funeral for the Late Lee Hae-chan, 36th Prime Minister.”

* This article has been translated by AI.

KWONKYUHONG spikekwon@ajunews.com