Flocks of opposition politicians gathered in Bongha Village in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday, for the 4th annual memorial service for late President Roh Moo-hyun.

While they stood together, paid their respects and sang “March for Thee” in unison, the tension was ever so palpable.

Amongst those present were Kim Han-gil, the recently elected Democratic Party chairman who took the lead in blaming the pro-Roh faction for the major election defeats last year, and Moon Sung-keun, a former Supreme Council member of the party and a key figure in the pro-Roh faction, who bolted from the party earlier this month amid growing factional fighting.

Just four days ago, Kim was blocked and hit in the chest by Roh supporters who called him unscrupulous during a memorial event for Roh in downtown Seoul. Nine days before that, Kim was shunned by another key pro-Roh figure, Myung Kye-nam, when he visited the village where Roh had retired until his suicide in 2009.

The rift between the so-called pro-Roh and non-Roh factions has been considered one of the Democratic Party’s critical weaknesses.

While Roh’s unconventional “flexible progressivism” lost support during his presidency, his death sparked a resurgence among his supporters, making him the most-loved former president, only rivaled by former President Park Chung-hee in surveys. Within the Democratic Party, Roh remains the central force, but ironically more as a source of friction than of impetus.

While Roh-loyalist Rep. Moon Jae-in became the unrivaled presidential candidate in the 2012 election, he faced the paradoxical task of distancing himself from Roh as factional division deepened. With pro-Roh members swearing that there is no such clique, as they share only Roh’s vision and not any hegemonic power, the party’s road toward reconciliation looks to be a long one.

Roh’s memorial service, nonetheless, was a brief moment of truce. “We will march forward away from division or confrontation to realize the world envisioned by Roh,” the Democratic Party said in a statement.

The ceremony was also joined by ruling Saenuri Party floor leader Choi Kyung-hwan, senior presidential secretary Lee Jung-hyun and former prime minister Han Myeong-sook.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)