‘We still miss his voice telling us to act now’

Mourners visit Bongha Village in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, on the 15th anniversary of the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun, pose for a photo next to a panel of his photo.

"It's been 15 years since he passed away... I've missed him so much."

On May 23, a procession of mourners from all over the country, including Seoul, Daegu, and South Gyeongsang Province, came to Bongha Village in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, where the 15th memorial service for former President Roh Moo-hyun was held.

Mourners began to gather at the village from dawn and their number increased noticeably from 9 a.m.

As the number of mourners increased, police and firefighters were deployed throughout the village to prevent any possible safety accidents. The Presidential Security Service and the Special Police Force's explosive disposal team were also busy, mobilizing detection dogs to inspect the area around the grave and the stage of the Ecological Culture Park, the venue of the memorial ceremony.

At the entrance to his grave, a wall filled with poems in honor of Roh was erected. Mourners walked past the wall and took pictures with a photo panel of Roh or toured his birthplace.

A tree in front of the grave was hung with yellow papers that read "Roh Moo-hyun, the undying spirit of the times" and "I still miss you very much."

Mourners started to gather at his grave early in the morning, carrying white chrysanthemums. Kwon and her husband in his 60s, who came from Busan around 5 a.m., said, "I couldn't come because I was busy making a living, but after closing my business, I finally came to visit with my husband.” She added, "I feel emotional to visit the grave and see many traces (of Roh).”

At the entrance to the graveyard, condolence flowers sent from President Yoon Suk-yeol, former President Moon Jae-in, representatives of the ruling and opposition parties, and political figures were lined up.

The wreath-laying table was soon piled high with chrysanthemums laid by mourners.

Kim Seong-hwa (48) said, "I couldn't come because my son was born in the year of Roh's death," adding, "I feel like I've paid off my heart's debt to pay tribute to him with my son this time."

"I often visit the grave with my husband," said Ms. Park in her 70s, who attends the memorial service every year. "I hope that Korea will develop by recalling Roh's spirit of 'the power of awakened citizens.'"

The Roh Moo-hyun Foundation also prepared items for the mourners. At the entrance booth of the graveyard, volunteers handed out paper hats emblazoned with the words "What is done now is history tomorrow," the slogan for the 15th anniversary of the memorial service, and the group of Rho’s supporters handed out 3,000 rice cakes and drinks.

The slogan is a phrase from a speech Roh gave on December 6, 2004, when he was invited to speak at the Sorbonne University in France. It contains practical values for all democratic citizens across time and generations.

"History asks you: What have you learned from history and what kind of future do you dream of? What you think and do today will be the history of tomorrow," he said in the speech.

A theme video, which was screened at the memorial service, which began at 2 p.m. on the day, also played Roh's voice saying, "Your thoughts and practices will become tomorrow's history." The mourners responded with cheers and applause.

The memorial service lasted for about an hour. The crowd of mourners filled up 2,500 chairs at the venue. The Roh Moo-hyun Foundation estimated the number of mourners at around 5,000.

Former President Moon Jae-in attended the memorial service for the third consecutive year starting from 2022. President Yoon Suk-yeol sent a wreath dedicated to him and Hong Cheol-ho, senior presidential secretary for political affairs. Political figures from both ruling and opposition parties also gathered in Bongha Village.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.