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By Lee Jin-woo
Staff Reporter
Tens of thousands people will gather together in downtown Seoul and nationwide this weekend to mark the 20th anniversary of the months-long pro-democracy movement, which laid the cornerstone for the country's democracy by ending a decades-long militaristic dictatorship.
The government will hold a ceremony at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts to officially mark the June 1987 struggle for the first time on Sunday, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs said.
Some 3,000 people including former pro-democracy activists are expected to attend the ceremony, the ministry said.
On June 10, 1987, the day when military general-turned President Chun Doo-hwan and his aides attempted to nominate his successor Roh Tae-woo, also a former army general, millions of people staged rallies to protest Chun's scheme to prolong his dictatorship.
Political demonstrations, increasing international pressure and the possibility of jeopardizing the hosting of the Seoul Olympic Games slated for the following year contributed to the June 29 declaration which led President Chun out of power and to direct elections in December 1987.
``We hope this ceremony will serve as a reminder for people to feel proud of our efforts for the nation's democracy, and be united to bring peace and prosperity to the Korean Peninsula,'' the ministry said in a press release.
Several civic groups including the Korea Democracy Foundation (KDF) and the YMCA Korea will hold peaceful street rallies to mark the 20th anniversary in some 20 cities nationwide including Seoul, Busan and Daegu.
Father Ham Sei-ung, president of the KDF, recalled the moment when thousands of demonstrators moved to Myeong-dong Catholic Cathedral in downtown Seoul and began a week-long protest against Chun's iron-fisted dictatorship.
``On June 10, I was shocked to see some 10,000 people at the cathedral. I thought it was time for me to contribute to the nation's democracy,'' Ham said.
Students of Yonsei University in Seoul also held a ceremony on Friday to commemorate the death of the late Lee Han-yeol, who died of an injury sustained during a street rally on June 9 the same year.
Brutal crackdowns by riot police including Lee's case angered the public. Lee, a sophomore of the school, was hit by shrapnel from a tear gas canister which exploded above him on the school's campus in Seoul.
On July 5, Lee, after a month in critical condition at Yonsei's Severance Hospital, died of his injuries, which initiated a further series of protests.
The nationwide protests were initially sparked in May by a belated press conference by a civic group on the government's attempt to cover up the death of Seoul National University student, Park Jong-chul, during police interrogation. Further investigations revealed the police interrogation methods included the use of torture.
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