'YS' right-hand man' mourning procession for the late Choi Hyung-woo for the third day... MB “Rest in peace in heaven”

Reduction in commemoration of political figures... Tomorrow, after the funeral, burial will be held at the National April 19th Democratic Cemetery.

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Yullip Lee = On the 26th, three days after the death of the late former Minister of the Interior Choi Hyeong-woo, the 'right hand man' and political comrade of former President Kim Young-sam (YS), political figures continued to visit the funeral.

Former President Lee Myung-bak visited the funeral home in the afternoon while Kim Deok-ryong, chairman of the Kim Young-sam Center, who chaired the funeral committee, Jeong Dae-cheol, chairman of the National Constitutional Association, and former Saenuri Party leader Kim Moo-sung, who is from the Sangdo neighborhood, guarded the funeral home set up at the funeral hall of Samsung Seoul Hospital in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Former President Lee knelt in front of the deceased's portrait, burned incense, then stood up and bowed his head deeply in silence for about a minute.

Next, I met with Mrs. Won Young-il, a former classmate of Pohang Yeongheung Elementary School and wife of former Minister Choi, and reminisced about the past.

Mrs. Won said, "(Former Minister Choi's age) is over 90. He is 92, and this year he celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary. That's why I said thank you for living for 60 years." Former President Lee patted First Lady Won's hand, saying, "You put your family through a lot of hardship."

When Mrs. Won said, "I can't express it in words," former President Lee said, "This excellent female student, she is an excellent female student. She worked hard."

Former President Lee's last words to former Minister Choi were, "I hope you live comfortably in heaven," and "I lived a very difficult life in this world."

At the funeral, former President Lee met former National Assembly Speaker Chung Eui-hwa and classmates from elementary and middle school who came to pay their respects.

At the mortuary, condolences continued throughout the day from political figures who wanted to be with the deceased on his final journey. Senior politicians such as former Deputy Prime Minister Hwang Woo-yeo, former Minister Lee Seok-chae, former lawmakers Jang Young-dal, Lee Boo-young, and Park Seok-moo, as well as former lawmakers Kim Doo-gwan, Jeong Seong-guk, Jeon Byeong-hun, and Won Yoo-cheol, gave their last greetings to the deceased.

At the Blue House, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo visited the funeral to pay condolences.

Kwon Noh-gap, chairman of the Donggyo-dong faction and chairman of the Kim Dae-jung Foundation, is also scheduled to visit the funeral on this day. Chairman Kwon serves as chairman of the funeral committee together with Chairman Kim Deok-ryong.

The funeral will be held at 9 a.m. on the 27th at the funeral hall of Samsung Seoul Hospital in Seoul. After the cremation is completed at the Seongnam Market Funeral Center in Gyeonggi Province, a burial ceremony will be held at the National April 19th Democracy Cemetery at 3 p.m.