Cheongpyeong, Korea - Korean government officials and Members of Congress were among the first visitors to pay their respects on September 6 to the Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, who died September 3 and whose body lies in a memorial chapel at the Cheon Jeong Goong (Peace Palace) in the mountains east of Seoul.
President Lee Myung Bak of South Korea sent flowers, and Kim Jong Un of North Korea sent a message of condolence.
Among the prominent members of Korean society in attendance were Eul Dong Kom and Byeong Kook Jung, Members of the National Assembly, and Bong Ho Kim, former Vice Speaker of National Assembly.
In addition, leaders of organizations founded by Rev. Moon in Korea and abroad came to pay their respects. By the end of the day the line included more than 13,000 people from all walks of life including 3,000 Japanese.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to visit the memorial display in the nearby Cheongshim Peace Center during the week leading up to the memorial service on September 15.
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