Female Democratic Unification Activist Lee Yoon-jung Passes Away

The late teacher Yoonjung Lee

Lee Yoon-jung, who dedicated her efforts to the unification movement following the May 18 Democratic Uprising, passed away at the age of 68.

According to the Funeral Committee for the late Lee Yoon-jung's civic society funeral on the 26th, she passed away at 11:20 a.m. the previous day while battling cancer in the hospital.

Born in 1955 in Hampyeong, Jeonnam, Lee graduated from Jeonnam Girls' High School and joined the Gwangju-Jeonnam women's activist group Songbaekhoe in 1978. During the May 1980 uprising, she actively supported the citizen army and aided the victims through Songbaekhoe. After engaging in social activism, Lee was elected as the first Gwangju city council member in 1991, but during her term, she was imprisoned on charges of violating the National Security Law after visiting Japan for unification movement activities.

Lee earned a bachelor's and doctoral degree in economics from Gwangju University. After completing the World Economy Advanced Strategy course at Seoul National University in 2007, she obtained a Ph.D. in political science and diplomacy from Chosun University in 2012.

The funeral hall is set up at Chosun University Hospital in Dong-gu, Gwangju. Following the farewell ceremony on the morning of the 27th, a civic society funeral will be held at the May 18 Democratic Square in Dong-gu, Gwangju. Since the review process for burial at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery has not been completed, she will be temporarily interred at Gwangju Yeongnak Park.