Jeon Uwon Apologized Instead of Jeon Du-hwan, Returns to Seoul After Gwangju Schedule Completion

Apologized to 5·18 Groups During 3-Day Stay in Gwangju
Plans to Continue Activities on SNS... Will Visit Gwangju Again Soon

Jeon Woo-won, the grandson of the late former President Jeon Du-hwan, who met with the bereaved families and victims of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising to apologize, has completed his schedule in Gwangju and returned. According to officials from May 18 organizations, Woo-won stayed in Gwangju for three days starting from the 30th of last month, meeting with May 18-related personnel both officially and unofficially, and returned to Seoul on the night of the 1st of this month.

Woo-won, who arrived at Incheon International Airport from the United States on the 28th of last month, was arrested by the police on suspicion of drug use and released after 38 hours. He then immediately moved to Gwangju, took a day of rest, and began official May 18-related schedules.

Jeon Woo-won, the grandson of former President the late Jeon Du-hwan, was cleaning the tombstone of the late martyr Kim Kyung-chul in Section 1 of the National May 18 Cemetery in Unjeong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, on the morning of the 31st of last month. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 31st of last month, Woo-won met with officials from the May 18 Memorial Foundation and the three May 18 organizations (Bereaved Families Association, Injured Association, and Meritorious Persons Association), where he knelt down and apologized, saying, "My grandfather was the main culprit of the May 18 massacre."

He then paid respects at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery and knelt once again before the May mothers who lost their families in the May Uprising. Woo-won also toured the 'Jeonil Building 245,' which still bears bullet marks from helicopter gunfire during the May Uprising.

The late former president denied the helicopter gunfire in his memoirs and called the late Father Cho Bi-o, who testified about the incident, a "shameless liar," for which he was convicted of defamation of the deceased. He passed away while the appeal trial was ongoing.

After completing his official schedule, Woo-won unofficially met with the May mothers once again. It is reported that he visited the homes of Lee Geun-rye, mother of the late martyr Kwon Ho-young, and Kim Gil-ja, mother of the late martyr Moon Jae-hak.

After completing his private schedule, Woo-won moved to his residence in Seoul. He has since been active on social networking services (SNS), and it is known that he plans to visit Gwangju again soon to meet with May 18-related personnel and visit private sites.