hankyoreh

People walk in front of the state funeral memorial alter for late former President Roh Tae-woo set up at a gymnasium in Daegu’s Dalseo District on Wednesday. (Yonhap News)

In a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning, the South Korean government decided to hold a state funeral for former President Roh Tae-woo, but not to bury him in a national cemetery. The decision has led to controversy, causing an immediate backlash from civic groups and even members of the ruling party.

“It is true that Former President Roh made historic mistakes with respect to the military coup on Dec. 12, 1979, and the Gwangju Uprising, but we also considered the contributions he made after being elected under the direct electoral system, including the Inter-Korean Basic Agreement and other policies on North Korea, as well as efforts to pay compensation after receiving a criminal sentence,” said Hwang Myeong-seok, administrative affairs director at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Civic groups related to the Gwangju Uprising released a statement, saying, “The purpose of a state funeral is national unity, and this can only be achieved after self-reflection and apology. The perpetrators of the massacre have never apologized to the public, and citizens have never received an apology.”

While Roh Tae-woo and his family have distanced themselves from former president Chun Doo-hwan, who refused to pay compensation or even apologize for the 1980 massacre in Gwangju, opponents believe holding a state funeral is an outrageous show of respect for a man who trampled over Korea’s constitutional order.

The government began preparing for the funeral as soon as the plans for it were approved by the National Assembly in Wednesday morning. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum will serve as the chair of the State Funeral Committee, Minister of the Interior and Safety Jeon Hae-cheol will head the steering committee for the funeral, and the task of forming an advisory committee is currently underway.

The official name of the funeral, which is being held over five days from Oct. 26-30, is “State Funeral for the Late Former President Roh Tae-woo.” A ceremony will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30, and the funeral steering committee plans to decide on a location for the burial ceremony in consultation with the deceased’s family. The government, local municipalities and public agencies will fly their flags at half-mast during the funeral period.

However, this has incited backlash from groups related to the Gwangju Uprising, who view the decision as “unacceptable.” In a phone interview with the Hankyoreh, Kim Yeong-hun, chair of the Bereaved Families Association of May 18 Democratic Patriots, said, “As bereaved families, we suffered from great oppression under both Chun Doo-hwan and the Roh Tae-woo administration, and we still remember that suffering. Mr. Roh was convicted of mutiny in the Supreme Court, so there is no way he should be given a state funeral and buried in a national cemetery. It is regrettable that the government has made this decision.”

Groups representing families who lost loved ones in the uprising, victims of the massacre, those who were confined and injured during the Gwangju Uprising, together with the May 18 Memorial Foundation released a statement that read: “We are deeply disappointed in the government’s decision to hold a state funeral in the name of the government for a criminal who destroyed the nation’s constitution.”

The Center for Military Human Rights Korea also issued a statement which read: “The Moon Jae-in administration has set a dangerous precedent in claiming that a soldier should be revered as a leader simply because he was able to take control of the government, despite the fact that he massacred citizens to seize that power and commanded his troops to assassinate their superior and incite insurrection.”

Some members of the ruling party are also opposed to the decision. While the party leadership has expressed a willingness to toe the party line “after contemplation,” a number of National Assembly members — mainly, representatives from the Gwangju region — have expressed disappointment with the decision.

“The decision to hold a state funeral is deeply regrettable and I am disappointed with it,” Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Young-deok (representing Dong and Nam Districts, Gwangju) told the Hankyoreh in a phone interview. “It’s difficult for many people to accept a funeral being held in the name of the Republic of Korea for former President Roh, who was accused of being the ringleader who incited insurrection and used state power to murder citizens.”

Lawmaker Jo O-seop (representing Buk District, Gwangju) also stated, “We’re talking about a man who massacred the people of Gwangju, and yet when a state funeral is held, Gwangju City Hall has to fly its flag at half-mast and set up a memorial altar. What kind of historic irony is that?”

Jo went on to say, “We are also partially responsible for failing to quickly process the bill [that would ban state funerals for former presidents who were stripped of their privileges]. It’s highly regrettable, and I have mixed feelings.”

Lawmaker Min Hyung-bae (representing Gwangsan, Gwangju), who formerly worked in the Blue House under the Moon Jae-in administration, also noted, “This flies in the face of the identity of the democratic system,” adding that he “can’t help but feel a sense of powerlessness.”

By Kim Yang-jin, Kim Yong-hee, Park Kyung-man and Yi Ju-been; staff reporters

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