Goryeong-gun County Chief Lee Nam-cheol. [Provided by Goryeong-gun]
Goryeong-gun County Chief Lee Nam-cheol. [Provided by Goryeong-gun]

Lee Nam-cheol, the chief of Goryeong-gun in North Gyeongsang Province, died Wednesday after battling esophageal cancer. He was 65.

According to Goryeong-gun, Lee died around 1 a.m. Wednesday while receiving hospital treatment for esophageal cancer. A three-day county funeral is being held through Thursday.

Under the county's ordinance on official funerals, Goryeong-gun swiftly formed a funeral committee co-chaired by Deputy County Chief Jeong Gwang-ho and Goryeong County Council Speaker Na Yeong-wan.

Lee had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer last month and had taken a 30-day medical leave to undergo treatment.

Lee joined the Goryeong-gun county office in 1979 and was first elected county chief in 2022. He won reelection in the most recent local elections.

Deputy County Chief Jeong will serve as acting county chief.

The funeral procession departs Thursday at 8 a.m., followed by a farewell ceremony at Goryeong-gun County Office Plaza at 8:30 a.m. Lee will be interred at Hapcheon Memorial Park.


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