[Notice] Ending Remarks on the 40th Commemorative Event for the May 18 People's Uprising > foreigner

As the 40^th Commemorative Event for the May 18 People’s Uprising comes to an end…

The 40^th Commemorative Event for the May 18 People’s Uprising is drawing to a close. Though this year’s commemorations were held in the midst of the COVID19 crisis, we were able to come through in the spirit of the people. Our committee thanks the citizens of Gwangju for the civic consciousness they exemplified during this year’s commemorations. We also thank everyone who commemorated and honored the May 18 People’s Uprising in their daily lives in their own unique ways.

Our committee prepared a wide variety of commemorative events with the vision of rediscovering the value of Datong, centering youth, and spreading the message of the May 18 People’s Uprising across the nation and the world. But because of COVID19, we had to cancel public gatherings and scale back most of our events. Frankly, we were not without concern that these alterations would discolor the commemoration of the May 19 People’s Uprising.

As if COVID19 wasn’t enough of a challenge, we were also facing turbulence from the so-called ‘Freedom Union,’ a far-right organization who announced through YouTube that they would hold a large-scale opposition march in the streets of Geumnamro. Nonetheless, the citizens of Gwangju calmly persevered and honored the May 18 Uprising while following social distancing regulations. The city of Gwangju took strong and immediate actions via administrative orders against the ‘Freedom Union’ and thus prevented them from twisting the truth and tarnishing the memory of the May 18 People’s Uprising.

This year’s the opening of our commemoration ceremony was especially meaningful as it was held at the 5.18 Square in front of the old Jeonnam City Hall. The old Jeonnam City Hall holds great historical significance as the final battleground of the May 18 Uprising. It is the mecca of democracy where the spirit of community, resistance, and solidarity bloomed.

Here, at the opening ceremony, President Moon spoke at length about the “spirit of the May Uprising,” calling it the emblem of the values that represent the past, present, and future of Korean society. He stressed his intention to reveal and defend the truth about the May 18 Uprising, and to have it inscribed into the Constitution. We are confident in his support of the legitimacy of the May 18 Uprising and his hope to finish the work that it started.

A meaningful part of our commemoration this year was the recruitment of participants from all over the nation. We also awarded the May Community Award. The May People’s March showed a new, innovative way that the public could participate in not just the march itself, but the planning of the march. The commemoration of the May 18 People’s Uprising held in each region by the region’s own commemoration committee will undoubtedly be an important reference for future commemorations.

We also had success in switching to online versions of our originally planned events. We opened the May 18 People’s Uprising Indie Theater on YouTube and held a cover competition for the song “Marching for Our Beloved.” Acts of May, an event to promote the enactment of the “spirit of May” was also made possible online. Through social media and other online means, people nationwide and even internationally were able to create and share writing, photos, and videos that honor the May 18 People’s Uprising in creative ways.

Because of social distancing measures, there was a major decrease in the number of visitors who came to Gwangju to commemorate the May 18 People’s Uprising, but we were able to harness the advantages of being online – the ability to overcome the barriers of time and distance. Ironically, it was the challenge of COVID19 that brought us the opportunity to expand the commemoration of the May 18 People’s Uprising to the national and international level. There is, nonetheless, regret that the commemoration events that so many worked hard on had to be cancelled. We also regret that there were attempts by far-right YouTubers to twist the truth of the May 18 People’s Uprising and tarnish its significance.

The Commemorative Event Committee for the May 18 People’s Uprising will continue to seek and protect the truth of history and to establish laws to punish those who distort it. We will expand the power of The May 18 People’s Uprising Truth Commission, and establish a special law so that American interference in the May 18 People’s Uprising can be included in their investigation. We plan to continue public outreach and education programs to gather support for inscribing the May 18 People’s Uprising in our Constitution. We will draw from the wisdom and strength of our citizens to look to the future, where the May 18 People’s Uprising can be honored and its spirit continued. By reflecting on the 40^th commemoration of the May 18 People’s Uprising, we will begin the work of pouring our every effort into the next commemoration. Thank you.

June 1, 2020

40^th Commemorative Event Committee for the May 18 People’s Uprising