[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Junho] Independent lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja (Gwangju Seo-gu Eul), formerly of the Democratic Party of Korea, received the ‘Proud 5·18 Gwangju Citizen Award’ on the 13th, jointly selected by the 5·18 Democratic Movement Victims Association, the 5·18 Democratic Merit Bereaved Families Association, the 5·18 Detained and Injured Association, and the 5·18 Memorial Foundation.
The ‘Proud 5·18 Gwangju Citizen Award’ is given to those who have contributed to uncovering the truth of the unfinished history of the May 18 Democratic Movement or have made significant contributions to establishing support measures for the victims of 5·18 and their families.
The 5·18 Democratic Movement Victims Association stated, “Lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja not only took the lead in proposing and passing the ‘Act on the Establishment and Operation of the National Trauma Healing Center for State Violence’ last year but also spearheaded the establishment of the ‘National Trauma Healing Center for State Violence’ in Gwangju, opening a path for trauma healing for victims and families of state violence, including the May 18 Democratic Movement and the Jeju 4·3 Incident.”
This award is the first to be presented since the 5·18 Democratic Movement Victims Association was officially established as a public legal entity in March.
So far, some compensation and restoration of honor have been made for the state’s ruthless violence and human rights violations, such as the Jeju 4·3 Incident and the May 18 Democratic Movement, but a professional national-level healing institution for overall state violence has been insufficient.
In particular, 55.8% of those related to the May 18 Democratic Movement suffer from serious aftereffects such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and among the victims, 40 have taken their own lives. This figure is 500 times higher than the national suicide rate of 0.02% in South Korea.
Last year, with the representative proposal and passage of the ‘Act on the Establishment and Operation of the National Trauma Healing Center for State Violence’ by Lawmaker Yang, a legal foundation was established for systematic and stable healing and research for victims of state violence.
Moreover, in 2020, as the only lawmaker from the Gwangju region participating in the National Assembly’s Budget and Accounts Special Committee, Yang played a decisive role in persuading the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, along with Lawmaker Lee Hyung-seok of the Administrative Safety Committee, to attract the ‘National Trauma Healing Center for State Violence’ to Gwangju and secure a project budget of 7 billion won.
Lawmaker Yang said, “I believe true forgiveness and reconciliation begin with healing wounds,” adding, “The ‘National Trauma Healing Center for State Violence’ to be established in Gwangju will be the minimum duty for those who suffered from the state’s ruthless violence and human rights violations, such as the Jeju 4·3 Incident and the May 18 Democratic Movement, and will be the first step in cleansing our past mistakes.”
She continued, “The May 18 Democratic Movement is not a past history but an unresolved history, and all Gwangju citizens who were at the horrific scene that day are victims,” emphasizing, “At the National Assembly level, we will work harder to thoroughly uncover the truth of 5·18 and to prepare support measures for victims and families sacrificed by state violence.”
About 60 people, including members of the 5·18 Democratic Movement Victims Association and 5·18 democratic merit recipients, attended the event, where Kim Hyung-mi, director of the May Mothers’ House, gave a congratulatory speech, adding significance to the award.
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