The funeral of former President Roh Tae-woo will be held today (27th) as the head of state according to the decision of the State Council.



Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom said today at a cabinet meeting presided over at the government complex in Seoul, "The government will make this funeral the national head of state to honor the deceased's achievements with the people and do everything in their power to treat them with respect."



Accordingly, the government uses the national treasury to organize and operate the mortuary, to transport it, and to organize funeral and burial ceremonies.



According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the head of state for former President Roh is hosted by Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom as the funeral director and will be held for five days until the 30th.




The National Burial Act, in principle, requires that the duration of the funeral be limited to 5 days. The cost of hosting the national funeral is borne by the national treasury. Expenses are excluded.



It also stipulates that local governments and heads of diplomatic missions abroad can install and operate incense burners.



As the funeral of former President Roh was decided to be held as a national funeral, the government plans to soon complete the formation of the National Funeral Committee and advisory group and start preparing for the funeral in earnest.



The Funeral Committee is in charge of most funeral matters, from the method, time, and place of the national funeral to budgeting and settlement.



In addition, in order to advise on matters related to the execution of the head of state, a person representing each field of society can be appointed as an advisor.



In Article 2 of the National Heads of State Act, the head of state is to be held when the current or former president or the president-elect dies, without mentioning whether or not a serious crime has been committed.



At the same time, Article 1 of the same Act stipulates that the person who is the head of state is 'a person who has left a remarkable achievement in the country or society and is admired by the people'.



Among the past presidents, only former President Syngman Rhee and former President Yoon Bo-seon were held as family funerals, while other former presidents were held in the form of state heads of state, national heads of state, or national heads of state.



The director and the head of the nation were merged into the head of state in 2011, and the funeral of former President Kim Young-sam, who passed away in 2015, was held as the head of state.



Former President Roh Moo-hyun and former President Choi Gyu-ha served as heads of state, and former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and former Presidents Park Chung-hee served as director generals.



The burial site of former President Roh is highly likely to become the Paju Unification Garden.



In a statement released yesterday, the bereaved family said that they were discussing whether Jang-ji would be enshrined in Paju, where the Unification Garden is located, following the wishes of the deceased while he was still alive.



(Photo = Yonhap News)