First Step Toward Establishing a 'Public Law Corporation' for the 5·18 Democratic Merit Recipients' Long-Awaited Project

Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Approves Preparatory Committee for 5·18 Democratic Movement Contributors Association Establishment

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] The establishment of a public law organization, a long-cherished project of the 5·18 Democratic Merit Recipients, has taken its first step after more than 40 years.

According to the 5·18 Detained and Injured Association on the 4th, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs approved the Preparatory Committee for the Establishment of the 5·18 Democratic Movement Merit Association the day before.

The Preparatory Committee for the Merit Association was the first approved preparatory committee among the new statutory organizations?5·18 Injured Association, Bereaved Families Association, and Merit Association?that will be launched following the dissolution of the existing three incorporated associations under the revised Act on the Treatment and Organization Establishment of 5·18 Democratic Merit Recipients, which was amended on January 5.

The chairman is Im Jong-su, former director of the 5·18 Memorial Culture Center, and 14 members serve as committee members. They plan to proceed with drafting the articles of incorporation and electing executives for the public law organization, the 5·18 Merit Association, which will be launched on April 6.

Until now, there had been severe internal conflicts between the existing three organizations and informal groups ahead of the establishment of the public law organization. With the official approval of the Merit Association Preparatory Committee by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, it is expected that the efforts to establish public law organizations for the Bereaved Families Association and the Injured Association will proceed rapidly.

Im Jong-su, chairman of the Preparatory Committee, said, “I feel a heavy responsibility in preparing the public law organization Merit Association, a long-standing hope of the 5·18 Democratic Merit Recipients. We will do our best to create a fair and democratic public law organization, correct distorted history, and inherit and develop the spirit of May.”

Meanwhile, the Merit Association Preparatory Committee plans to pay respects at the National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery at 11 a.m. on the same day and officially begin preparations for establishing the public law organization.