Participants booed opposition leadership at 6th anniversary of Kim Dae-jung’s death

Participants booed opposition leadership at 6th anniversary of Kim Dae-jung’s death. August. 19, 2015 07:18. alwaysj@donga.com.

Memorial for the 6th anniversary of former President Kim Dae-jung (DJ)’s death was held in the Seoul National Cemetery on Aug. 18. Politicians from the ruling and opposition parties participated and paid tribute to DJ and his achievements.

Along with ruling Saenuri Party chairman Kim Moo-sung and New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) head Moon Jae-in, 300 guests including National Assembly speaker Chung Eui-hwa, Justice Party’s leader Shim Sang-jeong, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, and Senior Presidential Secretary Hyun Ki-hwan attended the memorial. Other guests who drew attention included independent lawmaker Cheon Jeong-bae who is at the center of controversy over ‘creation of a new opposition party,’ former NPAD Rep. Kim Min-seok, former South Jeolla Province governor Park Joon-young who left the NPAD recently, and Roh Geon-ho, the son of the late former president Roh Moo-hyun.

“Thanks to my father and others’ efforts, the inter-Korean relations once produced fruitful results. But we witnessed it was easily fallen apart. Despite her illness, my mother visited Pyongyang on the way paved by my father. I wish more and more politicians follow the suit of the former president Kim Dae-jung,” said the former lawmaker Kim Hong-eop, DJ’s second son, in a speech on behalf of the

Before the memorial began, some participants booed the NPAD leadership including chairman Moon Jae-in. “Don’t just talk about integration. Make sincere efforts to integrate (the party),” the opponents shouted. Because of this, Moon stopped greeting visitors at the entrance and moved to the inside of the venue.

“Among Korean politicians, only few leaders are as courageous as the former President Kim. When iron-fist administrations suppressed the democracy in Korea, President Kim put his all-out efforts to advance the democracy,” said National Assembly speaker Chung Eui-hwa, who served as the chair of the memorial committee.

Kim Moo-sung, head of the ruling Saenuri Party, said, “Former President Kim was a leader who led democratization in Korea and paved the way for reconciliation of the two Koreas.” NPAD chairman Moon said, “President Kim opened the door for inter-Korean relations and diplomacy in the Northeast Asia under the policy named as ‘Sunshine Policy.’ I miss his insights and knowledge.”