Moon urges end to ideological rift over 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising
President Moon Jae-in gives a speech at a ceremony marking the 39th anniversary of the Gwangju Democratization Movement at Gwangju in South Jeolla Province, Saturday. Yonhap
President Moon Jae-in called for an end to wasteful political strife over the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, Saturday, saying the country still owes a huge debt to the residents of the city.
Attending the 39th anniversary of the movement against the then military junta led by Chun Doo-hwan, he offered an apology, as the country's sitting president, for the many deaths that resulted in the brutal crackdown that followed.
He lamented continued reckless remarks by some politicians and scholars to distort or play down the truth behind the historic event, officially named the Gwangju Democratization Movement.
"As a Korean, I feel tremendous shame when facing the reality of preposterous remarks denying and insulting the May 18 Democratization Movement still being uttered out loud without any hesitation," he said in a speech at the ceremony held in the city, 268 kilometers south of Seoul.
Earlier this year, three lawmakers with the conservative main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) came under fire for publicly describing the Gwangju uprising as a riot, linking it with North Korea and insulting the bereaved family members of the victims.
Moon said that 20 years ago, "We already reached a national consensus about the historic significance and nature of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and brought relevant legal matters to a close."
"No more controversies about this issue are necessary now. They would simply be a meaningless waste," he stressed. "The truth about the May 18 movement cannot differ between conservatives and liberals."
He emphasized it was aimed at protecting freedom and democracy, saying only "the would-be heirs of a dictatorship" would see it in a different way.
The junta dispatched tank-led paratroopers to crack down on the nine-day uprising, initiated by college students and later joined by many of the city's residents. More than 200 people were killed and 1,800 others wounded.
Moon pointed out, "Much more remains to be done to reveal the truth regarding those in charge of the massacre, secret burials of victims, sexual violence and the firing on protestors from helicopters."
He stressed: "Our task now is to uncover the truth that has yet to be clarified. This will allow us to put down the heavy historical burden that Gwangju has so far shouldered and turn the May of tragedy into the May of hope."
Last year, the government introduced special legislation to create a fact-finding committee, although this has yet to be launched amid a political controversy over its members.
"I urge the National Assembly and those in politics to take on this task with a greater sense of responsibility," the president said. (Yonhap)