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

▲ 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)

(LEAD) late ex-PM-funeral

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

(ATTN: ADDS details from Vietnam in last 3 paras, photo)

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 format of a "social 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 Jan. 27-31, according to PUAC officials.

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

The service will be carried out in the format of a "social funeral," a ceremony to mourn the death of an influential figure who made contributions to society. The funeral period is also longer than the usual three-day service in South Korea.

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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