President Kim Dae-jung will retire to his private house in Tonggyo-dong, Seoul, at 5 p.m. today, ending his five-year rule as head of state.
On his last day in office today, Kim is scheduled to preside over his last Cabinet meeting and work until 5 p.m., the hour when he finishes his daily work.

Officially, his tenure will come to an end at midnight tomorrow. This technically means that there would be no head of state until 11 a.m. on the next day when President-elect Roh Moo-hyun takes office after an inauguration ceremony at the square of the National Assembly.

However, it has been arranged that Roh will be in charge for those 11 hours, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces as well as holder of executive powers.

According to Chong Wa Dae officials, Kim doesn’t have any special plans to mark his retirement.

In the neighborhood where his private residence is located, a couple of banners are hung to welcome the retiring head of state. The neighbors also are planning to hold a private welcoming ceremony. His residence is a two-story house with a basement, combined floor space of 198 pyong (one pyong equals 3.3 square meters).

Originally, Roh’s aides floated the idea of holding a ceremony marking the transfer of power at Chong Wa Dae before the inauguration ceremony but the idea didn’t pan out.

Kim will have three assistants paid by the government to help him after retirement. Also, according to pertinent regulations, about 20 bodyguards will protect him for the next seven years.

According to Kim’s close aides, Kim, the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize winner, is planning to rest for a while before working on projects aimed at promoting peace around the world. Park Jie-won, his chief of staff, has rent an officetel apartment in Kim’s neighborhood to help his post-presidency projects.

First lady Lee Hee-ho is planning to continue her charity work.

oh@koreatimes.co.kr