The 'March for the Beloved' Sung Together by Both Ruling and Opposition Parties... Ending the Bitter History with Conservatives?

President Yoon Suk-yeol Attends May 18 Memorial Ceremony, Leads Chorus with Ruling and Opposition Leaders
Under Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye Governments, It Was a 'Chorus' Not a 'Lead Chorus'
Emphasizes National Unity and Is Seen as Aware of Honam Voter Sentiment

President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the 42nd anniversary ceremony of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement held on the morning of the 18th at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery in Buk-gu, Gwangju, and led the singing of the "March for the Beloved." Photo by Seomyeongon. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Yoon Yoon-jin] President Yoon Suk-yeol became the first conservative government president to lead the singing of the "March for the Beloved" at the 5·18 Democratization Movement memorial ceremony. Analysts interpret this as a political decision emphasizing the will for "national unity" in light of the June 1 local elections.

On the 18th at 10 a.m., President Yoon attended the 42nd anniversary memorial ceremony of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement held at the National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery in Gwangju. About 100 members of the People Power Party, ministers from various departments, and presidential office aides accompanied him. In his commemorative speech, President Yoon said, "We must responsibly inherit the spirit of May," and together with the leaders of both ruling and opposition parties, he led the singing of the "March for the Beloved" as the final order of the ceremony.

The "March for the Beloved" is a popular song symbolizing the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. Since 2004, the year after the 5·18 memorial ceremony became a statutory event, it has been officially sung every year. However, during the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, debates arose annually around the time of the ceremony regarding whether the song should be "led" or not.

At the 29th anniversary ceremony of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement in 2009, the leading of the "March for the Beloved" was removed from the program and changed to a choir performance before the ceremony. In November of that year, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced it would select the 5·18 commemorative song through a public contest, drawing criticism from civic groups and eventually retracting the decision. The ministry held the position that the "March for the Beloved" was a song sung by certain groups such as activists, but May-related organizations including the 5·18 Democratic Merit Families Association criticized this, saying, "Do not deny a song that has comforted the spirits of the May martyrs for decades."

After conflicts, the "March for the Beloved" was included again in official events in 2011, but performed as a choir rather than led singing. The difference is that choir performances do not require all attendees to sing, unlike led singing. The Park Geun-hye administration maintained the choir performance of the song in the four ceremonies held from 2013 to 2016.

When the leading of the "March for the Beloved" was banned, related organizations and progressive party figures strongly opposed it. May-related groups boycotted the official ceremonies for three years?from 2010, when the leading was removed from the program, and from 2013, when the ban continued. In 2013, a resolution urging the designation of the 5·18 commemorative song passed the National Assembly plenary session, but the Legislative and Judiciary Committee repeatedly stalled, preventing its enactment.

With the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in government in 2017, the leading of the "March for the Beloved" was reinstated in the official program. Amid the trend of "conservatives singing as choir, progressives leading singing," attention focused on the decision of the Yoon government, a conservative regime returning to power after five years. After his election, it was reported that President Yoon planned full participation of ruling party lawmakers and leading singing at the 5·18 ceremony, raising expectations.

In his commemorative speech this time, President Yoon emphasized "The spirit of May is the very spirit of the liberal democratic constitution and the cornerstone of national unity," putting "national unity" front and center. By leading the singing of the "March for the Beloved," he reaffirmed his will for unity.

Analysts interpret President Yoon’s unprecedented move as a conservative government as an attempt to dispel the "Honam neglect theory" ahead of the June 1 local elections. Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, commented after the ceremony, calling it "the culmination of the party’s two years of efforts toward Honam," and said, "We can expect even greater unifying actions from the Yoon government going forward."

In response, Park Ji-hyun, co-chair of the Democratic Party’s emergency committee, pointed out, "If today’s participation is not to end as a mere show, candidate Kim Jin-tae for Gangwon Province governor, who disparaged 5·18, must resign," and added, "We hope this government will thoroughly investigate the truth about 5·18."