Damyang Office of Education Participates in 5·18km Walking Event with Students

The Damyang Office of Education participated in the 42nd Anniversary Damyang County Residents' 5·18km Walking Contest and Commemoration Ceremony on the 21st. Photo by Damyang Office of Education

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Damyang Office of Education announced on the 23rd that it participated in the 42nd anniversary Damyang Residents 5·18km Walking Contest and Commemoration Ceremony on the 21st.

The ‘Damyang Residents 5·18km Walking Contest’ was held to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement, hosted by the Damyang 5·18 People's Uprising Commemoration Committee, National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery, Damyang County Office, and Damyang Office of Education, with the participation of officials from 34 institutions and organizations within Damyang and about 100 students and their families from the area.

The walking contest gathered in front of Jusan Church near Goseo Elementary School Jusan Branch, held an opening ceremony to safely conduct the walking contest, and divided participants into seven groups to start energetically.

The 5.18km walking section was divided into four points, where participants could perform missions such as sharing rice cakes, sticking opinion stickers, and throwing water balloons, to help participants keep going without getting tired.

A 6th-grade student from Damyangnam Elementary School said, “My dream is to become a police officer. I participated in the walking contest to overcome my limits,” and expressed joy, saying, “I am happy to have completed the 5.18km.”

All participants arrived at the National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery and shared rice balls, experiencing the sense of community of that day.

At the National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery, the memorial service began with poetry recitations by Park Seong-ae of the Korea Federation of Artistic and Cultural Organizations and Cha Sang-young, a member of the Damyang Writers' Association.

After the memorial service, they visited the graves of 14 martyrs from Damyang and paid respects at the National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery. All participating students conducted the memorial with a solemn heart, confirming democracy through direct experience.

In his memorial speech, Damyang Office of Education Superintendent Lee Sook called out the names of the 14 martyrs from Damyang one by one and pledged, “Democracy, founded on their sacrifice, and the noble spirit left by the May martyrs will be properly inherited. I will do my best at schools in front of the martyrs and Damyang residents.”