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O 251026Z MAY 09
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4425
INFO RUCNKOR/KOREA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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RUACAAA/COMUSKOREA INTEL SEOUL KOR PRIORITY
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UNCLAS SEOUL 000823 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KS
SUBJECT: FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR FORMER PRESIDENT ROH AND 
REACTION TO HIS DEATH 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Former President Roh's funeral will be 
held in Seoul on May 29 or 30.  Most embassies we spoke to 
are planning to send delegations headed by their respective 
ambassadors.  Roh's death has evoked an outpouring of public 
support, and, in some quarters, anger at President Lee's 
administration for having pursued with excess zeal Roh's 
prosecution for bribery.  END SUMMARY. 
 
-------------------- 
Funeral Arrangements 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Despite earlier reports that President Roh's 
funeral would be held on Friday, May 29 in Gimhae, near 
Busan, a source at the Ministry of Government Administration 
and Security confirmed that President Roh's family had 
requested to change the venue to Gyeongbok Palace, adjacent 
to the Blue House, in Seoul.  While it is likely the funeral 
will take place in Seoul, it has not been determined whether 
it will be held on the 29th or 30th. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In consultation with Roh's family, the government 
is preparing a "citizen's funeral" for the former president. 
A citizen's funeral is an honor reserved for former 
presidents and other citizens who have made significant 
contributions to Korea.  A citizen's funeral is only 
superseded by a "state funeral" in terms of protocol; a state 
funeral is reserved for a sitting president.  There has been 
only one state funeral in Korea's modern history, for 
President Park Chung-hee who was assassinated in office in 
¶1979.  Two deceased presidents who preceded Park, Lee 
Seung-man and Yoon Bo-sun, both had family funerals, at the 
request of the families concerned.  Choi Kyu-ha, who served 
briefly following Park's death, was the only other president 
to be honored with a citizen's funeral. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) On May 25, to pay respect to President Roh, 
Ambassador Stephens went to the National History Museum, one 
of the designated memorial sites.  Among the hundreds of 
Korean citizens, including former Prime Minister Han 
Myeong-sook and current Minister of Unification Hyun In-taek, 
the Ambassador was one of fifteen ambassadors to pay respects 
at the memorial today. 
 
------------------- 
Foreign Delegations 
------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) As of May 25 COB, there is no confirmation of 
foreign delegations coming for President Roh's funeral and 
the ROKG has not issued any protocol guidance.  Embassies we 
spoke to have either decided that their respective 
Ambassadors will head their delegation of are awaiting 
confirmation from capitals. 
 
-- The Australian embassy was planning for its Ambassador to 
head its delegation. 
 
-- The Canadian embassy recommended that its Ambassador head 
the delegation and is awaiting confirmation from Ottawa. 
 
-- The Chinese embassy said it was awaiting a decision from 
Beijing as to whether there would be a official delegation 
from Beijing or whether the Ambassador would head the 
delegation. 
 
-- The Japanese embassy said there was a "high possibility" 
that a delegation from Tokyo would come, but nothing definite 
so far.  The Prime Minister would decide the composition of a 
delegation, but it would likely be "senior politicians" from 
the Diet. 
 
-- The New Zealand embassy said its Ambassador would head its 
delegation. 
 
-- The Russian embassy was awaiting confirmation from Moscow 
on whether a delegation would be coming and could not 
speculate on the outcome of the decision. 
 
-- The UK embassy said a delegation from London was highly 
unlikely, but a final decision depended on ROKG protocol 
guidance. 
 
------------------ 
Regional Reactions 
------------------ 
 
¶6.  (U) Korea's Six-Party Talks partners, including North 
Korea, expressed condolences. 
 
--  North Korean leader Kim Jong-il expressed "profound 
condolences to widow Kwon Ryang-suk and (Roh's) bereaved 
family." 
 
--  China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, "We bemoan 
the unfortunate death of Mr. Roh Moo-hyun and express our 
deep condolences to his family." 
 
--  Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said on Saturday he was 
"quite surprised" by the news and said he would like to "pray 
for the repose of (Roh's) soul."  We understand from our 
Japanese colleagues that the Japanese Ambassador will convey 
a condolence message from Prime Minister Aso to President Lee. 
 
------------ 
Atmospherics 
------------ 
 
¶7.  (SBU) President Lee Myung-bak on Saturday expressed deep 
regret over the sudden death of his predecessor, calling the 
incident "a national tragedy."  There has been an outpouring 
of public sympathy and support for Roh, not surprising given 
the respect Koreans accord to the deceased and Roh's fervent 
following among the progressive and the young.  Thousands 
turned out in Bongha Village, home to the Rohs, to pay their 
respects to former President Roh during the first full day of 
remembrance on May 24.  Generally, the mood was subdued, as 
hundreds stood in long lines together somberly and patiently. 
 Although lines were long, they were efficiently organized 
and controlled.  Particularly interesting was the lack of 
special treatment for VIP visitors, who had to make the 
10-minute walk into the village with hundreds of others. 
Also noteworthy was that the crowd did not allow Prime 
Minister Han Seung-soo and several GNP politicians, including 
Park Geun-hye and National Assembly Speaker Kim Young-O, to 
pay respect to the deceased.  There is clearly anger among 
the Roh Moo-hyun supporters, many of them blaming the ROK 
prosecutors for having driven their former leader to complete 
exhaustion, despondency and death. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) It is, of course, much too early to tell whether 
this level of sympathy and anger will have lasting effects on 
Korean politics and on President Lee's ability to govern.  So 
far, President Lee has responded with a soft touch, giving 
all respect to the deceased and the Roh family.  Also helpful 
is the soft touch of the Korean National Police (KNP), who 
are deployed in enormous numbers, but responding gently to 
several large memorial gatherings; we understand that the KNP 
has been ordered not to resort to use of force under any 
circumstances.  Most helpful of all was the news that North 
Korea had tested a nuclear device on May 25.  Now, Roh's 
death is no longer the only news.  More than that, Lee's 
brand of conservative policies toward the North appears to 
compare favorably with Roh's Sunshine Policy. 
STEPHENS