President Moon Jae-in paid his respects Wednesday to Paek Ki-wan, revered for his lifelong pro-democracy activities and devoted campaign for the reunification of the two Koreas.

The president visited the funeral home set up at Seoul National University Hospital in the capital for the condolence call to the bereaved family.

Paek died Monday at the age of 88 after suffering symptoms of pneumonia.

He spent much of his life for pro-democracy, pro-unification and social activists, having written numerous novels, essays and poems, as well as the lyrics of "March for the Beloved," a famous pro-democracy movement anthem.

It was Moon's first visit to such a funeral home since he paid his condolences to Kim Bok-dong, a victim of Japanese troops' wartime sexual enslavement, in January 2019. (Yonhap)