Han In-ok, the wife of former Hannara Party leader Lee Hoi-chang, died on the 23rd. She was 88. The Hannara Party is the predecessor of the People Power Party.
The deceased is regarded as the person who stayed closest to Lee after he moved his stage from the legal profession to politics, accompanying his political journey.
Han was born in 1938 in Haman, South Gyeongsang. Her father is former Supreme Court justice Han Sung-su. After attending Kyunggi Girls' High School, she graduated from the home economics education department at Seoul National University's College of Education, and in 1962 she married the former party leader.
Lee ran as the Hannara Party's presidential candidate in 1997 and 2002. The deceased is known to have continued to offer counsel and support by Lee's side during the two presidential elections and subsequent political activities, rather than stepping to the fore with public activities.
Former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, who has regarded Lee as a "political mentor," also paid tribute. Yoo wrote on Facebook, "Over the past 30-plus years, from being the wife of a legal professional to the wife of a politician, she went through many things yet never lost her graceful dignity." He added, "Whenever I faced trials, she was a warm person who felt more sorry than anyone and gave me courage."
During the mourning period, visits from conservative political figures are expected to continue. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon, Reform Party Seoul mayoral candidate Kim Jeong-cheol, and other key party officials and candidates are said to be planning to visit the mourning hall. Yoo and former lawmaker Ji Sang-wuk, among others close to the former party leader, are also expected to pay their respects.
She is survived by two sons and one daughter. The mourning hall has been set up in Special Room 2 at the funeral home of Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in Sinchon. The funeral will be on the 26th, and the burial site is Gwangneung Memorial Park.