A memorial altar for the late Lee Hae-chan, senior vice chair of The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC) and former prime minister, will be set up at Seoul National University Hospital.
According to PUAC on the 25th, Lee's remains will depart the country on the night of the 26th on a Korean Air Lines flight and arrive at Incheon Airport on the morning of the 27th. They will then be taken to the funeral hall at Seoul National University Hospital. The deceased is currently temporarily kept at a military hospital in Vietnam.
PUAC is discussing the form of the funeral with the bereaved family and related agencies. It is reported that various options, including a social funeral, are under review. A social funeral is a ceremony held when a prominent figure who contributed to the nation and society dies, with representatives from all walks of life voluntarily forming a funeral committee. The government may subsidize part of the funeral expense or confer a decoration in consideration of the deceased's achievements.
In addition to a social funeral, possibilities being discussed include a funeral led by an institution, a state funeral—the highest level of ceremony organized by the government—and a National Assembly funeral led by the legislature to commemorate the deceased. If it is held as a state funeral, it must be approved by the Cabinet Council.
Lee, who served as prime minister in the Participatory Government, collapsed from a myocardial infarction on the 23rd while on a business trip to Vietnam. Lee was taken to a local hospital for treatment but died that afternoon.