South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, on behalf of the government, bid a farewell to ex-president Kim Dae-jung at the funeral service held on Sunday.
Minister Han praised his accomplishments and expressed the whole nation’s sadness by giving a speech at the service.
“The whole of Korea is truly overcome with great sadness,” he said, calling Kim “a great leader of modern history, recognized not only within (South) Korea but by the world.”
Minister Han introduced the late president’s major achievements in democracy, human rights, peace, and inter-Korean reconciliation.
“Democratization, in particular, was possible,” said Han, citing Kim’s convictions and courage.
Han also honored Kim, saying he paved the way for reconciliation, exchange and cooperation between South Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) through the first ever Inter-Korean summit talks in Pyongyang in 2000.
The state funeral for Kim, the second ever in the history of South Korea, started at 02:00 p.m. (0500 GMT) at the nation’s parliament, attended by 24,000 invitees, including politicians, ordinary citizens and foreign delegations.
