By Bae Ji-sook
Staff reporter
President Lee Myung-bak will be absent from the commemoration ceremony for the May 18 Pro-Democracy Uprising in Gwangju for the second straight year, which is causing a stir among civic activists who accuse him of "downgrading" the historically-significant movement.
Lee has decided not to visit the southwestern city for the 30th anniversary despite urges from his own political party that the visit is necessary to win the hearts and minds of Jeolla residents, who have traditionally given them the cold shoulder.
According to the association of May 18-related civic groups, Cheong Wa Dae sent notice Saturday that Lee will not be in Gwangju today for the commemoration ceremony and Prime Minister Chung Un-chan will be his replacement.
The association stated, "It is a great shame that the President is showing his ignorance of the gravity of the uprising in Korean history. The absence shows where his heart lies."
Since 2000, former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun have attended the ceremonies every year.
Lee also attended the ceremony in 2008, his first year in office. However, the event was assumed to have put a lot of strain on Lee and his aides due to confrontations with farmers opposing his controversial resumption of U.S. beef imports.
Lee kept his distance from the occasion last year citing protocol issues, but has attended other pro-democracy movement commemoration ceremonies.
Rep. Chung Dong-young of the Democratic Party, which has strong roots in the Jeolla provinces, denounced the absence Monday, saying the President was "tarnishing" the spirit of the uprising. "The sacrifice of Gwangju citizens was for the nation and all our people. However, his absence is a clear stunt to minimize its legacy to the city itself," he said in a radio interview.
Kim Dae-shik, the Grand National Party's (GNP) candidate for South Jeolla governor, urged the President to come. "It is important for the President to recognize the importance of the occasion and show his support for the region," he said last week.
His request was made about a month ahead of the June 2 local elections where his party has practically no base.
Professor Park Man-kyu of Chonnam National University, on the other hand, doesn't take Lee's absence too seriously.
"His visit in 2008 was controversial. Since he was quite indifferent to the issue, it must be awkward for him to come," he said. "What we really want from him is to give constant attention to the regional economy than being here for a day," he said.
Meanwhile, another move by the conservative administration is drawing opposition from liberal civic activists in Seoul.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency rejected a request by liberal civic groups which wanted to hold a "democracy festival" commemorating the May 18 Uprising in front of the Boshingak Bell Tower in central Seoul. The police explained that the group has held anti-governmental or militant protests before.
It seems that the administration has decided to block any possible criticism beforehand. It is unconstitutional," the groups said in a statement. The activists decided to file an injunction to stop the police from keeping them from gathering.
"The news came surprising to us because last week, Rep. Cho Jeon-hyeok of the GNP held a fundraising concert in Cheonggye Plaza, right next to Boshingak. While Cho's event was to secure funds for his political activity - to post the list of progressive schoolteachers online - the event with many other politicians' supporting speeches was allowed," the group said.
"History can never be concealed or die. The government should respect the uprising and let all people understand its gravity without censorship," Chung Ho-hee, spokesman for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, said.