Korean Funeral

In Pohang, there is Sunlin College and Sunlin Hospital. The hospital was formed first. It was founded by President Chun’s father-in-law and some missionaries. Later, President Chun’s father founded this college. The day that I left for my northern trip, the founder passed away at the age of 95. He had been bedridden at Sunlin Hospital for awhile.
After another day of being on the road all day, we, the faculty of the international school stopped by the service held at the hospital. Seemingly, the hospital had an entire floor dedicated for such services. There was a long hallway filled with thousands of white flowers, some just thrown on the floor. There were many Chinese characters that I couldn’t read. When we got to the main alter, we were each given a white flower. We placed them in front of a large picture of the man that I had never met. We turned to our right where President Chun, his wife, and another family member were standing. We bowed to them and gave our condolences.
After leaving the main alter area, we placed our shoes back on, took a few steps to a dinning area, where we removed our shoes again. The tables were the usual three feet high. Fresh food was and drinks were brought out. We were tired, had been sitting all day, and had all-ready eaten, but this didn’t matter. This was a time to sit, eat and discuss his life.
President Chun’s son sat down next to us. He had gone to school with Jared in Kansas. He was very nice. We talked with him for awhile. He and his father both, didn’t sleep the night before.
We left and made it home. I slept for 11 hours. In the morning, there were tons of students in the entrance area and in front of the President’s building. Everyone was wearing black and many made black ribbons with two Chinese characters on them. When the President arrived, there were many other people. He had a podium and a huge crowd in front of him. He talked and prayed for awhile in Korean and that was it. All the people went back to their lives.I do not know the next step in the process. Perhaps there will be a burial service with close friends and family. He most likely will be buries in the traditional manner, under a huge mound and with a plaque similar to a headstone.