Yoon calls for national unity at May 18 uprising ceremony

President Yoon Suk Yeol sings "March for the Beloved" with people whose loved ones were killed in the Gwangju Uprising of 1980, marking the 43rd anniversary of the movement at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, Thursday. The song, which was written in the 1980s honoring an activist who died during the Gwangju uprising, has been widely sung to commemorate those who died under the authoritarian regime. Yonhap

Presidential office, DPK trade barbs over reflecting May 18 spirit in Constitution

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon Suk Yeol called for national unity to safeguard liberal democracy in a speech, Thursday, at the 43rd anniversary ceremony of the 1980 May 18 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju.

However, his office and the main opposition party traded barbs over whether to amend the Constitution to incorporate the spirit of the May 18 uprising, blaming each other for insulting it, which encompasses the courage to stand up against forces threatening democracy.

"Under the spirit of May 18, we are all one," Yoon said during the ceremony at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju. "The spirit of May 18 itself represents the essence of our Constitutional values of liberal democracy and it is a precious asset that we must inherit. It serves as a cohesive force that unites us as one."

Yoon added that the country "must courageously stand up against all forces and challenges threatening freedom and democracy," if it is remembering and inheriting the spirit of the May 18 uprising.

President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech during the 43rd anniversary ceremony of the 1980 May 18 pro-democracy uprising at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, Thursday. Yonhap

The May 18 uprising was a watershed movement for Korea's democratization from the military dictatorship of former President Chun Doo-hwan. On May 18, 1980, pro-democracy protestors, students and other citizens of Gwangju held massive protests against the Chun junta, but were violently suppressed by the military, leaving hundreds dead.

Following the country's democratization, the spirit of May 18 has been used as a term referring to the people's revolutionary movement upholding the values of democracy, human rights and peace ― mostly cited and respected by liberal politicians.

It was the second straight time that Yoon attended the May 18 ceremony after taking office, May 10, 2022. During last year's speech at the ceremony, Yoon said, "The May 18 spirit is a restoration of common values and represents the essence of the Constitutional value of liberal democracy."

During Wednesday's ceremony, Yoon and other participants sang the "March for the Beloved," an iconic song commemorating two victims of the May 18 uprising and widely sung during pro-democracy and labor protests. Some right-wing politicians have refused to sing it, as it was favored by their liberal rivals.

Leaders of the major parties ― from left, People Power Party Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon, Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung and Justice Party Chairwoman Lee Jeong-mi ― sing the national anthem during the 43rd anniversary ceremony of the 1980 May 18 pro-democracy uprising at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, Thursday. Yonhap

Despite Yoon's call for unity, his office and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) were at loggerheads over whether to amend the country's Constitution to incorporate the May 18 spirit.

During a press conference after the ceremony, DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung said Yoon should keep his presidential election pledge of amending the Constitution to stipulate the May 18 spirit.

"Including the May 18 spirit in the Constitution was a bipartisan promise to the public made during the presidential election (last year)," Lee said.

"The government and the ruling party, which are responsible for the state violence (the suppression of the May 18 uprising), should stop commemorating it and remember the spirit through words and prove it by actions… I demand that (the government) hold a national referendum for a Constitutional amendment on the occasion of the general election in April next year."

However, a senior official at the presidential office told Yonhap News Agency that the proposal is "an insult to the May 18 spirit."

"The proposal is nothing more than a clever trick to distract the public's attention" from a number of corruption scandals involving the DPK, the official said. "The May 18 spirit will be incorporated into the Constitution through appropriate amendment processes."

The DPK responded angrily to the official's comment. In a statement, DPK spokesperson Rep. Kang Sun-woo said, "President Yoon is the person insulting the May 18 spirit."

"While the country is commemorating the 43rd anniversary of the May 18 uprising, the presidential office is obstructing the nation to unite under the May 18 spirit," the statement read. "How can a proposal asking the president to fulfill his pledge become a tactic to distract public attention?"