S Koreans bid farewell to former S Korean president Roh

2009-05-29 00:29:50 GMT2009-05-29 08:29:50 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English

SEOUL, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Former S. Korean president Roh's hearse, along with some 1,000 people, left his home in Bongha Village early in the morning Friday for the funeral scheduled later in the day in Seoul.

After having a one-hour-long traditional departure ceremony in Bongha, the late president's funeral car left his hometown at around local time 06:00 (2100 GMT Thursday), with around 20,000 people gathered to see off the ex-president.

The funeral ceremony in Seoul, held as a "people's funeral," will be attended by some 2,500, including President Lee Myung-bak, and diplomats in Seoul as well as ordinary citizens.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the altar in tribute of Roh, set up in the South Korean Embassy in Washington D.C, praising his dedication to democracy and rights.

Since Roh's death by jumping off a rock last week, nearly 1 million mourners have made the pilgrimage to the ex-president's hometown Bongha as of Friday morning.

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