Former National Assembly Speaker Lee Man Sup Dies At 83; Hundreds Attend Funeral Ceremony To Bid Last Goodbye
Hundreds of people attended the funeral ceremony of former National Assembly speaker Lee Man Sup Friday who died of a chronic disease at the age of 83.
Kwon Joong Tae, a parliamentary official, said the former speaker passed away at 4:31 p.m. at Yonsei Severance Hospital on Monday (Dec. 14) due to respiratory failure, as reported by Korea Times on the same day.
According to reports, Lee has served as the speaker of National Assembly from 1993 to 1994 after taking over the position from Park Jyun Kyu, who was allegedly linked in a land speculation gossip. From 2000 to 2002, Lee served his second term as the speaker of the unicameral national legislature of South Korea.
Yonhap News Agency reported Friday that hundreds of South Koreans, including legislators and Lee's family attended the funeral ceremony sponsored by the National Assembly. About 500 people bid their last good bye to the veteran politician.
Further reports have revealed that the 83-year-old former speaker has also served as a lawmaker for eight terms. Lee was also a journalist who has worked for Dong-a Ilbo before he entered the politics in 1963.
Lee graduated political science and diplomacy at Yonsei University. The former parliamentary speaker was known for his advocacy of parliamentarism.
Current speaker of National Assembly Chung Ui Hwa said in a memorial address that Lee will be remembered as a solid parliamentarian.
"We have lost a "great tree" of South Korean politics who walked the way parliamentarism for life," Chung said.
Lee was branded by the ruling Saenuri Party as the "eyewitness" of the modern politics of South Korea.
"As a journalist-turned-politician, he was famous for his firmness and conviction. He was respected by many other politicians," said spokesman Kim Young Woo.
On the other hand, spokesman Kim Sung Soo of New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) said Lee "was a politician acting according to his conviction."
Lee was born in Daegu in 1932. He was the youngest member of parliament after being elected in 1963.