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Ex-lawmaker Yang from Jeju passes away

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Published : Oct. 13, 2011 - 20:29
Yang Jung-kyu, 79, chairman of the Republic of Korea Parliamentary Society and former six-term lawmaker, passed away late on Wednesday. He had been suffering from a chronic illness.

Born in Jeju in 1933, Yang joined officialdom as a secretary to the prime minister in 1964 and moved into politics by winning a seat in the 7th National Assembly in 1967.

He went on to serve in the 9th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 16th parliaments.

Yang Jung-kyu


In between and even after his parliamentary terms, Yang was known to be an influential senior figure in the political arena.

He worked as the floor leader of a group of independent lawmakers under the dictatorial rule of the late President Park Chung-hee. In the early 1980s, he served as the floor leader of the second largest opposition party under the authoritarian regime of President Chun Doo-hwan.

Yang served as chairman of the Korean Boxing Commission and vice president of the World Boxing Association from 1977-1985.

In 2009, the senior ex-lawmaker was elected the 16th chairman of the ROKPS, a fraternity of senior lawmakers, and later won re-election.

Yang’s funeral ceremony is to be held at Sinchon Severance Hospital at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter, he will be buried near his hometown in Jeju.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)

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