▲ This file photo shows Lee Hae-chan, a former chief of the main opposition Democratic Party, speaking during a ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 17, 2022, to mark the publication of his memoir. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
▲ A vehicle carrying the body of the late former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan (R) is on its way to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. 26, 2026, a day after Lee died in the Vietnamese city. (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) late ex-PM-funeral

(2nd LD) Ex-PM Lee Hae-chan's 5-day funeral to be held later this week

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SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- The funeral of former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, who died while visiting Vietnam, will be held for five days this week in the combined format of a "social funeral" and an "institutional funeral," in consideration of his contribution to society, officials said Monday.

Lee, who was serving as a senior vice president of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC), died at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday after suffering cardiac arrest.

The funeral, to be hosted by PUAC and the ruling Democratic Party, will be held from Tuesday to Saturday, according to PUAC officials.

Lee's body is expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport early Tuesday before being transported to the funeral venue.

PUAC officials said the service will take the format of a social funeral, a ceremony to mourn the death of an influential figure who made contributions to society, and also that of an institutional funeral, put together by a specific organization to honor the deceased. The funeral period is also longer than the usual three-day service in South Korea.

PUAC said Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will serve as head of the funeral committee, with Seoul National University emeritus professor Paik Nak-chung and Democratic Party Chairman Jung Chung-rai also serving on the committee.

The former prime minister arrived in the Vietnamese city Thursday but collapsed Friday while preparing to return home after his flu-like symptoms worsened. He was taken to a nearby hospital and underwent a stent insertion procedure but later died.

Lee's body was transported to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday, with Vietnamese police providing escorts.

Officials said the Vietnamese foreign ministry, out of respect for Lee, helped facilitate the repatriation process and asked the country's quarantine and customs authorities for their cooperation. The process usually takes at least three days, according to one official, with the local death certificate and the embalming certificate among several required documents.

The Korean Air flight carrying Lee's body in a specialized container is scheduled to leave Vietnam at 11:50 p.m. Monday.

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