President Yoon's Pledge to Enshrine the Spirit of 5·18 in the Constitution
Opposed by Jeon Gwang-hoon: "Jeolla Province Lip Service"
Kim Jae-won, Supreme Council Member: "Even Ancestors' Graves if Seeking Votes..."
Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, attended a worship service led by Jeon Gwang-hoon, the far-right pastor of Sarang Jeil Church, and expressed opposition to including the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Uprising in the constitution, sparking controversy. The inclusion of the May 18 spirit in the constitution was also a campaign pledge of President Yoon Suk-yeol.
In a video of the worship service led by Pastor Jeon on the 12th, Kim, the Supreme Council member, is seen going up on the stage while Pastor Jeon was preaching and having a conversation together.
Pastor Jeon said, "We supported Elder Kim Ki-hyun at the People Power Party convention. But he threw cold water on us. He says he will include the spirit of May 18 in the constitution, but do you think the Jeolla Province votes will come out? Jeolla Province will forever be 10%," and Kim replied, "That is impossible. I also oppose it."
Pastor Jeon then asked again, "Isn't that just lip service to Jeolla Province?" and Kim agreed, saying, "Isn't it politics to even sell ancestral graves to get votes?"
Afterwards, Kim said, "I have received the teachings of my respected hometown senior Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon well, and I will faithfully carry out Pastor Jeon's words in the future," and then stepped down from the stage.
Kim Jae-won, the newly appointed Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, is delivering his acceptance speech at the party's 3rd national convention held on the 8th at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
President Yoon pledged to include the spirit of May 18 in the preamble of the constitution during his presidential campaign. At last year's '42nd Anniversary Ceremony of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement,' he emphasized, "The spirit of May is the restoration of universal values and the very spirit of the liberal democratic constitution. That spirit belongs to all of us and is a precious asset of the Republic of Korea."
Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, also said in a May interview last year with KBS Radio regarding the inclusion of the May 18 spirit in the constitution, "I come from a family that has continuously participated in democratization movements since my father's generation," and "I plan to actively review this matter."
Kim Jae-won's remarks the day before have sparked controversy as they revealed a difference of opinion within the ruling party leadership regarding the president's campaign pledge. In this regard, Kim explained on the morning of the 13th after the Supreme Council meeting, meeting with reporters, saying, "It is a personal opinion," and "I said it was impossible to amend the constitution because people were talking as if the amendment would happen immediately."
However, even as a personal opinion, criticism has arisen that it was inappropriate for a member of the ruling party leadership to make statements publicly that directly contradict the government and the party. Kim Nam-guk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, wrote on Facebook, "With Kim's remarks, all the sincerity of the People Power Party's progressive attitude toward the May 18 Democratization Movement has disappeared," and he pointed out, "I suspect that the previous statements were merely a strategy to gain votes."
Kim also said, "Can we understand that some members of the People Power Party leadership associate with Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon and far-right YouTubers who constantly make all kinds of hateful remarks and absurd nonsense?" and "I hope Kim Jae-won sincerely apologizes to the May 18 bereaved families and the public for his remarks."
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