DP leader vows to carry on late ex-PM's efforts for democratization, peace

▲ Rep. Jung Chung-rae (3rd from R), leader of the ruling Democratic Party, and other party officials bow their heads to mourn the death of former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan during a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 26, 2026. (Yonhap)

DP leader-late ex-PM

DP leader vows to carry on late ex-PM's efforts for democratization, peace

SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- The leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) expressed condolences over the death of former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan on Monday, vowing to carry on his legacy for the nation's democratization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Rep. Jung Chung-rae made the remarks during a meeting of the party's supreme council as he pledged to "open the path toward peace on the Korean Peninsula," describing it as an "unfinished task."

"The DP will never forget Lee's lifelong commitment to democracy, human rights and peace on the Korean Peninsula," he said. "We will not neglect the unfinished tasks he left behind, and will carry forward with unwavering reforms and efforts to open the path toward peace on the Korean Peninsula."

"A symbol of South Korea's democratization and a towering figure for the DP has passed away," Jung added, stressing that Lee served as a "compass" for the party and a "spiritual pillar" of the pro-democracy movement resisting authoritarian rule in the 1970-80s.

The former prime minister, who was appointed in October as senior vice chairperson of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council to support the North Korea and unification policies of the Lee Jae Myung administration, died Sunday at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City after suffering cardiac arrest.

He 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.

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