S Korea says goodbye to Sun-Il

2004-06-30 15:05

Busan, South Korea - Mourners paid an emotional farewell on Wednesday to a South Korean hostage beheaded by Islamic militants in Iraq as parliament prepared to launch a probe into the circumstances of his death.

Hundreds of people, including senior government officials and politicians, crowded into a gymnasium in the southern port of Busan for Kim Sun-Il's Christian funeral service.

His parents and sisters sobbed as Kim's casket, covered with white chrysanthemums and red roses set in the shape of a cross, was carried into the gym.

A large banner over the altar was inscribed with a phrase from a last message he e-mailed home, which read: "I love Iraq." A portrait of a smiling Kim was printed on the banner.

A screen next to the altar showed video films including one in which Kim was seen pleading for his life with his Islamic militant captors, causing his mother, Shin Young-Ja, to break down.

Buried in public cemetery

"The beloved Sun-Il has left us, but he will serve as the seed that was buried to bear fruit for peace in Iraq and the Middle East" his sister, 41-year-old Kim Hyang-Lim, told mourners in a speech.

The funeral lasted three hours, and included prayers, a mourning poem by one of his friends, speeches by relatives and Busan Mayor Huh Nam-Shik.

Kim was to be buried later in a public cemetery in this southern port.

The body of the 33-year-old interpreter for a South Korean firm which supplies the US military was found dumped on a road outside Baghdad a week ago after the South Korean government rejected an ultimatum to scrap plans to deploy over 3 000 troops to Iraq and withdraw over 600 already in the country.

The killing triggered protests against the planned South Korean troop deployment and also led to accusations the government had failed to do enough to rescue Kim.

President Roh Moo-Hyun on Friday ordered a probe into the alleged mishandling of the hostage case after Kim was shown on television pleading for his life and appealing to South Korea to remove all troops from Iraq.

Roh said the foreign ministry, the intelligence agency, the defence ministry and the National Security Council would be investigated by the probe.

- AFP