SOUTH KOREA LABOR ACTIVIST OBITA funeral procession for Lee So - sun , the mother of South Korea ' s notable labor activist Jeon Tae - il , leaves the Seoul National University Hospital , South Korea , on 07 September 2011 , where her funeral will be held . Lee died of natural causes at the age of 82 on September 03 . She became a labor activist in 1971 , when her son Jeon Tae - il , a garment worker at Seoul ' s Pyeonghwa Market , killed himself in protest for better pay and working conditions . His death sparked protests in South Korea , which was then ruled by authoritarian President Park Chung - hee . EPA / YONHAP NEWS AGENCY < 연합뉴스 모바일 앱 다운 받 기 > < 포토 매거진 >< 저작권자 ( c ) 연합뉴스 . 무단 전재 - 재배 포금 지 . >