Published : Nov. 23, 2015 - 19:17
President Park Geun-hye on Monday visited a memorial altar to offer her condolences to the bereaved family of the late former President Kim Young-sam, the nation’s iconic democratic fighter who died early Sunday.
The two had shared ups and downs in their relationship as Kim had resisted militant leaders including Park’s father, the late former President Park Chung-hee.
The visit lasted eight minutes and came a few hours after she returned from a 10-day trip to three nations for a series of regional forums.
As soon as she arrived at the funeral hall set up at Seoul National University, Park burned incense and laid a chrysanthemum before the portrait of the former president who dedicated his life to the nation’s democratization and opposed the military dictators for decades.
Kim Hyun-chul, the second son of late former President Kim Young-sam, greets President Park Geun-hye at the funeral hall of Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)
Park offered a word of comfort to Kim’s second son Hyun-chul and also held hands with former first lady Son Myung-soon, her spokesman Jeong Yeon-guk said in a written statement without providing details of the conversation she had with Kim’s family. She was accompanied by her Chief of Staff Lee Byung-kee and senior political secretary Hyun Ki-hwan.
“My heart goes out to the bereaved family members, and I pray for the soul of the deceased,” Park had said in Kuala Lumpur upon learning of Kim’s death.
The government has decided to hold a state funeral for Kim, including a ceremony at the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon. Park is expected to attend Kim’s funeral, along with other political leaders.
Park’s brief visit to Kim’s funeral hall reflected the uncomfortable relationship the two had for years.
Kim was an opposition politician who vehemently objected to the constitutional revision that allowed Park Chung-hee to serve for three consecutive terms. Kim was expelled from the parliament for his antigovernment activities.
Kim, even after his presidency, continued his opposition against the senior Park.
In 1999, while visiting the April 19 National Cemetery that honors protesters against the former late President Syngman Rhee’s dictatorship in the early ’60s, Kim said that attempts to glorify the legacy of the militant ruler Park Chung-hee should be scrapped.
Park, then vice chairwoman of the Grand National Party, predecessor of the ruling Saenuri Party, rebuked Kim’s remark, saying that an antisocial person who only believes in himself should never be a political leader again. Their twisted relationship peaked in 2012 when Kim’s son Hyun-chul sought the party’s nomination to run for a parliamentary seat, the same year Park was nominated as Saenuri’s presidential candidate. As Hyun-chul was eliminated from the nomination, the enraged ex-president blasted Park that she was making “merciless political revenge” that was passed down from her father.
Kim continued to inveigh Park, telling former Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Moon-soo that she was not suited for presidency, calling her “chilpunii (retard).” But Kim later endorsed her just before the presidential election through Kim Moo-sung who then led Park’s campaign team. After winning the election, Park expressed her gratitude to Kim by paying a visit that quickly eased their strained relationship but the two never fully reconciled before his death.
Meanwhile, more than 3,200 mourners paid a visit to Seoul National University Hospital to pay respect for the deceased who is praised for having laid the foundation for a peaceful power transfer from militant rulers. The mortuary was filled with hundreds of political bigwigs, incumbent and retired senior government officials and business representatives, remembering him as a leader who risked his life and political career against militant regimes’ constant threats.
Many incumbent and former politicians and government officials, including Lee Hoi-chang who served as prime minster under the Kim administration, mourned Kim’s death. Former prime ministers ― Chung Un-chan, Kim Hwang-sik and Chung Hong-won ― all paid their respects at the president’s memorial hall, as well as Lee Hee-ho, widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, Kim Young-sam’s successor and political rival. Mark Lippert, the top U.S. envoy in Seoul, also paid a visit.
Calling himself a political heir to Kim, Saenuri chief Kim Moo-sung stayed at the funeral home for two days to greet mourners. The ruling party leader in his early years in the politics supported the late president when he established his own party in 1987 to run for a presidency. When Kim ascended to power, Kim Moo-sung served as presidential secretary for civil affairs and vice home minister.
Municipalities across the country have opened memorial altars on Monday for citizens for condolences, including Seoul city government that set up a makeshift altar at Seoul Square for three days.
By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)