President Yoon Emphasizes Unity and Honam Economic Prosperity: "We Must Achieve Bold Economic Success"

Traveling to Gwangju by KTX with Party Members, Aides, and Ministers
Including the 5·18 Spirit in the Constitutional Preamble

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Ki-min Lee, Hyun-joo Lee, Gwangju=Hyun-ji Kwon] President Yoon Suk-yeol's attendance at the May 18 Democratic Uprising memorial ceremony on the 18th attracted attention from various perspectives. Most of the senior presidential secretaries, ministers of each department, and ruling party members of the People Power Party attended. Additionally, as a conservative government president, he unusually led the singing of the "March for the Beloved." It also drew attention that he mentioned national unity in conservative strongholds ahead of the local elections.

On that day, President Yoon headed to Gwangju, where the May 18 memorial ceremony was held, on a special KTX train along with about 100 people, including senior presidential secretaries, ministers of each department, and almost all People Power Party lawmakers. Breaking the precedent of past presidents usually traveling by helicopter, President Yoon chose the special KTX train, also fostering closer interaction between the party and government.

Upon arriving at Gwangju Songjeong Station with his aides and ruling party lawmakers, President Yoon passed through the Minju Gate, the main entrance of the May 18 Democratic Cemetery, and walked into the venue together with Park Min-sik, head of the Veterans Affairs, and Kwon Young-jin, mayor of Daegu. President Yoon's entrance with Mayor Kwon symbolizes his will to overcome the historical Yeongnam-Honam rivalry and achieve practical East-West harmony. Throughout the ceremony, President Yoon emphasized the message that "we must achieve national unity with the May spirit that protected liberal democracy." Before the commemorative speech began, he wrote in the guestbook, "The spirit of May will unite our people and protect us in times of crisis and challenge."

In his commemorative speech, President Yoon promised not only to uphold the May spirit and national unity but also to achieve economic prosperity in Honam. He stated, "Now, Gwangju and Honam must boldly blossom economic achievements based on the universal values of liberal democracy and human rights," emphasizing, "We must achieve industrial advancement based on artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge technology and make a vigorous leap forward." He added, "My administration and I will do our best to elevate the values safeguarded by the democratic spirits and lead the way to prosperity."

At this ceremony, President Yoon reaffirmed the spirit of unity by leading the singing of the people's song commemorating the May 18 Democratic Uprising, "March for the Beloved," marking the first time a conservative government president has done so. Previously, during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, the song was sung as a chorus. However, in 2010 under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the "March for the Beloved" was excluded from the official program, causing disruptions in the ceremony due to protests from May 18 organizations and bereaved families. During the Park Geun-hye administration, the song was maintained as a choir performance, but under the Moon Jae-in administration, it was changed to a led singing, which has been maintained. A presidential office official said about President Yoon's actions that day, "The president explained the value of unity the day after his inauguration and emphasized bipartisan cooperation between the government and the National Assembly in his policy speech. This May 18 memorial ceremony marks a new political milestone toward national unity."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the opposition camp, there is caution that the May 18 spirit should not be used for local election vote-catching, and there are calls to include the May 18 spirit in the preamble of the Constitution. Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, proposed the formation of a special committee to include the May 18 spirit in the constitutional preamble at a floor meeting the day before. He warned, "President Yoon emphasized during his candidacy that the May 18 spirit should be included in the constitutional preamble during constitutional revision, but this should not become a vote-catching tactic or Hollywood action during elections."

As President Yoon reiterated at the ceremony that "the May spirit is the restoration of universal values and the very spirit of the liberal democratic constitution," discussions on including the May 18 spirit in the Constitution are expected to proceed in the National Assembly. The People Power Party considers constitutional amendment a matter to be decided by a national referendum, so an immediate one-point amendment is difficult, but it is expected that the floor leadership will start brainstorming by forming a special committee for this purpose.

There is also a positive trend toward constitutional revision within the party. Kim Ki-hyun, a People Power Party lawmaker, said on the radio that day, "It is time to gather the party's opinions; I think it is time to revise the Constitution. It was made in 1987 and is almost 40 years old." He added, "Reforms of the power structure, such as the cabinet responsibility system, should naturally be discussed, and in fact, IT, informatization, environment, and carbon neutrality have become very important values, so these should be further detailed, and the spirit to strengthen fundamental rights should be included in the Constitution." After the May 18 memorial ceremony, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, expressed a positive view on including the May 18 spirit in the constitutional preamble but said, "It is burdensome to talk about this when the government cannot even properly appoint the prime minister. Taking measures for the government's launch should be the priority."