Division mars Gwangju Uprising memorial
Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung, second from right, and his opposition counterpart Moon Jae-in of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, right, sing “March for Our Beloved” during a memorial service, commemorating the 35th anniversary of the May 18 Uprising at the National Cemetery in Gwangju, Monday. Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan, second from left, did not sing along. Last week, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs denied calls to recognize the symbolic song as representative of the May 18 uprising, causing controversy. / Yonhap
By Do Je-hae
The families of the victims of the May 18, 1980, Gwangju Uprising were still unable to reconcile with the government on Monday when they marked the 35th anniversary of the pro-democracy movement.
Many of the victims' family members deserted the government-led service at the May 18 National Cemetery and attended a separate ceremony organized by civic groups at a former site of the South Jeolla provincial government complex. Many protesters were killed there during a military crackdown at the time.
The two venues are only 10 kilometers apart.
"We skipped the government’s memorial because we can no longer stand its disregard of the movement’s spirit," said Kim Jung-gil, chief of the organizing committee for the 35th commemoration of the uprising.
Since the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration, the city of Gwangju has expressed its discontent with what they see as the government’s attempt to marginalize the legacy of the Gwangju Uprising.
Since 1997, the government designated May 18 as an official memorial day. After the 10-year liberal rule by Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, the government has downsized the memorial service.
A collision between civic groups and the Park Geun-hye administration over the latter’s ban of a signature tune of the pro-democracy movement, “March for Our Beloved,” has deepened Gwangju’s hostility toward the government and the ruling camp.
Ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung was banned from entering a memorial concert in Gwangju, Sunday
Gwangju remains staunch in its support for the song. The city has called on the government to recognize it as an official part of the memorial service, which the government has denied.
“The song carries universal messages of democracy, human rights and peace,” Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun said. “The government’s ban of the song does not serve the Gwangju spirit.”
The victims’ relatives have stayed away from the official memorial for the past six years in protest of the government's ban. “The government has severely neglected the families of the victims,” Chung Chun-sik, chief of a coalition for the victims’ families, told Yonhap.
In 2013, the National Assembly adopted a resolution urging the government to designate the song as an “official commemorative theme,” but the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has not been responsive.
President Park skipped the memorial and sent acting Prime Minister Choi Kyoung-hwan to the event to lead an official delegation that also included Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Sung-choon.
The president’s absence has been heavily criticized in the regional media for weeks. Park attended the memorial only once in 2013, the first year of her presidency.
Former President Roh attended the memorial each year and delivered opening remarks each time.
On May 18, 1980, Gwangju citizens protested against the then military junta leader Chun Doo-hwan, who assumed power after the 1979 assassination of then-President Park Chung-hee, the father of incumbent President.
A government crackdown killed 154 protesters and left more than 4,000 wounded.