Koreans hail resignation of Egyptian dictator

By Park Si-soo

The rippling waves of jubilation in Egypt following President Mubarak’s resignation on Saturday (KST) has reached South Korea, which took a bold step toward democracy in 1980 through anti-government protests.

Many human rights advocates and ordinary people here hailed the collapse of the Mubarak administration and called for a peaceful transition to an elected civil authority to build the foundations of a free democratic state.

His resignation was the latest reminder of the large-scale pro-democracy demonstration that took place on May 18, 1980, in Gwangju, 350 kilometers southwest of Seoul, which touched off nationwide protests against the then ruling military junta headed by two-star general Chun Doo-hwan.

Chun sent airborne and ground troops to Gwangju to quash angered protesters. It led to a bloody massacre and the deaths of several hundreds of protesters and civilians. As of 2003, records tally 207 dead, 2,392 wounded and 987 miscellaneous victims, but exact figures remain undisclosed.

Chun, now 80, was sentenced to death in 1996, but was freed in a presidential amnesty in 1997.

Kang Un-tae, mayor of Gwangju City, and Yoon Bong-geun, chairman of the Gwangju City Council, issued a joint statement Sunday to congratulate the Egyptian people.

“We, on behalf of 1.47 million Gwangju citizens, congratulate the Egyptian citizens who have overthrown the iron-fisted rule,” they said in the statement. “We are fully aware of how much their collective actions were worthwhile in paving the way for a democratic society. We pay our sincere respects to the Egyptians who risked their lives to establish a democratic Egypt.”

They wished the settlement of a democratic government in Egypt as early as possible. “We will keep supporting until the settlement (of a democratic government),” the statement said.

President Lee Myung-bak has yet to make an official comment.

Instead, the foreign ministry issued a statement Saturday, calling for peace and stability of Egypt.

“We expect the situation in Egypt will lead to fair and free elections, as per the people’s desire,” said Cho Byung-jae, foreign ministry spokesman.

The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) said it was “a win for Egyptian democracy.”

“We hope everyone in Egypt can reach a peaceful and rational conclusion to complete the democratization process,” said Bae Eun-hee, a GNP spokeswoman.

Cha Young, a spokeswoman for the main opposition Democratic Party, also expressed hope for the further development of democracy in Egypt.