[Yongsan] People’s Funeral on Snowy Day: No murderous Development!

Pan-Korean people’s funeral for the five martyrs who had been struggling against the forceful eviction
and were killed in fire during the police raid in the rooftop of the Namildang building
in the Yongsan 4-district, Seoul on Jan. 20, 2009, was held on Jan. 9, 2010,
after 355days of the hard struggle against the government oppression to cover the truth.
The carrying of the coffins has started at 9am at the Soonchunhyang University Hospital
where the five martyrs’ dead bodies were preserved for 355days for the struggle,
before the farewell ceremony.

The last farewell ceremony was held in the Seoul station at 12pm,
while more than 10,000 people gathered to memorize the heavy meaning of their death
and to determine their will to expose the whole truth of police murder crime of the five and
to fight against the government and corporation’s murderous redevelopment policies.

After about 3hours farewell ceremony, the five coffins were carried in the car.
The car was in the forefront, leading the people’s procession in the car-roads,
from the Seoul Station to the Namildang building, Yongsan where the five were killed.
The procession took about 3hours. The police tried to block it almost at the end of it
but the people’s power finally overcame it.

The big portraits of the five martyrs followed the coffins in the second line of the procession.
The Five are Mr. Lee Sang-Lim (B. 1938), Mr. Yang Hoe-Sung (B. 1952), Mr. Han Dae-Sung (B. 1956),
Mr. Yoon Yong-Hun (B. 1961) and Mr. Lee Sung-Soo (B. 1959) (from right to left)

The bereaved family members walked following the coffins and portraits
if the five while the snow began to fall down.
The snow fell down by the late evening.

Representatives of the civil organizations and progressive parties, and general citizens
followed the bereaved family members in the solemn atmosphere. The banners says,
“ Examine the Whole Truth of the Yongsan Tragedy! Punish the Responsible Personnel!
Stop the Murderous Development!”

A large painting visualizing the resurrection of the five martyrs from the fire
was carried by the volunteer citizens.

People chanted and hold the signs of the “ Examine the Truth of the Yongsan tragedy”
and “ Stop the Murderous Development.”
While not shown in the photo, police with large blank shields were mobilized in tremendous numbers
along the streets where the procession took.

“Stop the Murderous Development”

The deceased were finally buried in the Maseok Moran Park
while the bereaved family members and citizens participated.
The park is where many martyrs from the various fields of the democracy and unification movements
have traditionally been buried.

* For more photos in the Korean articles

Tongil News
Voice of People
Ohmy News

* Related article

Yonhap News
2010/01/09 21:17 KST
Long-delayed funeral for Yongsan fire victims held in Seoul

Korea Times
01-09-2010 21:53
Funeral Held for Yongsan Inferno Victims

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