"Every time I visit the 5·18 Cemetery, I make sure to step on Jeon Du-hwan's tombstone"
"Yoon, having lived with benefits, cannot understand the harshness"
"Jeon Du-hwan is a massacre rebel who committed mass killing of the people"
On the afternoon of the 18th, Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, was seen stepping over a monument inscribed with the name of former President Chun Doo-hwan at the Minjok Minju Martyrs' Cemetery in Mangwol-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Ju-hee] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stepped on the memorial stone of former President Jeon Du-hwan while entering the Gwangju National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery on the 22nd to pay respects. Lee mocked former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who recently sparked controversy with remarks defending Jeon Du-hwan, saying, "Former Prosecutor General Yoon must have found it difficult to step on it because he respects him."
Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate and governor of Gyeonggi Province, steps on the stone monument of Jeon Du-hwan embedded in the ground at the entrance of the May 18th Cemetery (National Democratic Martyrs' Cemetery) in Mangwol-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, as he enters to pay respects on the morning of the 22nd. Photo by Yonhap News
On that day, Lee visited the National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery in Buk-gu, Gwangju, and while moving to the 5·18 Burial Site (National Democratic Martyrs' Cemetery), he stepped on the memorial stone of former President Jeon Du-hwan laid on the ground at the entrance of the burial site and paused for a moment.
He then asked those around him, "Did former Prosecutor General Yoon also pass by here?" and added, "Former Prosecutor General Yoon must have found it difficult to step on it because he respects him."
Lee also stated, "Whenever I visit the 5·18 Democratic Cemetery, I make sure to step on Jeon Du-hwan's memorial stone without fail," and criticized former Prosecutor General Yoon, saying, "He only enjoyed the benefits within the democratic system created by the blood and sweat of the people, so he must have completely failed to understand the harshness that the name Jeon Du-hwan carries."
He continued, "People think democracy comes naturally one day, but it was made and protected by the blood and sweat of countless people," and pointed out, "(Former Prosecutor General Yoon) did not play any role for democracy, human rights, or peace."
Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate and governor of Gyeonggi Province, steps on the stone monument of Jeon Du-hwan embedded in the ground at the entrance of the 5.18 Cemetery (National Democratic Martyrs' Cemetery) in Mangwol-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, on the morning of the 22nd as he enters to pay respects. Photo by Yonhap News
Regarding former President Jeon Du-hwan, Lee said, "He is the mastermind of the crime of rebellion and an unforgivable massacre rebel who carried out mass killings of the sovereign people," and raised his voice, saying, "Like the punishment of Nazi war criminals, laws should be changed to exclude the statute of limitations for state violent crimes so that they are surely punished."
Meanwhile, after paying respects at the 5·18 Democratic Cemetery, Lee plans to move to Bongha Village in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, in the afternoon to visit the tomb of former President Roh Moo-hyun.
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