The state funeral for late former president Kim Dae-jung will be held at the nation's parliament Sunday afternoon with some 24,000 politicians, citizens and foreign delegates invited to the ceremony, Xinhua reported.
The service, scheduled to start at 02:00 p.m. (0500 GMT), will mark the second "state funeral" held in the nation, following that of former President Park Chung-hee.
A state funeral is the highest form of tributes given in the nation, for which the government covers the full expense.
Late Kim died of pneumonia-related complications on Tuesday after he was admitted to a Seoul hospital on July 13.
The funeral comes after a six-day mourning period, during which praise and condolence for the late president flooded in and out of the country.
President Lee Myung-bak, paying a condolatory visit to Kim, called him a "great political leader."
"His work and desire for democracy and national reconciliation will be remembered by the people for years to come," Lee was quoted as saying.
Expressing his sadness by the passing of Kim, U.S. President Barack Obama said Kim "played a crucial role in establishing a dynamic democratic system in the Republic of Korea."
Meanwhile, DPRK top leader Kim Jong IL also mourned over Kim's death, sending a condolatory delegation made up of his close aides on Friday.
The six-member delegates, after paying respect to the late leader at the memorial altar, also met with South Korean President during their three-day stay.
DPRK's Kim and ex-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung held the first-ever inter-Korean summit talks in Pyongyang in 2000, in pursuit of opening an era of reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas.
The DPRK delegation, however, is to leave Seoul without attending the funeral ceremony, while envoys around the world, including former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Chinese government's special envoy Tang Jiaxuan, are expected in the service.
Kim's body will be moved and laid at Seoul National Cemetery.
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP), meanwhile, is in preparation of holding an event at the center of Seoul late Sunday to commemorate the late president, DP spokesman Woo Sang-ho said.