Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (District Mayor Kim Ikang) announced that on the 16th, to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement, it held a reenactment event of the May 18 Jumeokbap, a symbol of sharing and solidarity, in the Yangdong area.
District Mayor Kim Ikang and about 50 people including Yangdong resident autonomy committee members made over 2,000 Jumeokbap lunchboxes that day and delivered them to May 18 merit recipients, veterans, and neighbors.
Following this, in front of the Jumeokbap monument at Yangdong Traditional Market, Historic Site No. 19 of May 18, a Jumeokbap experience and sharing event was held with the participation of street vendors and Yangdong Elementary School students.
Yangdong is a historic site where, during the May 18 incident in 1980, merchants of Yangdong Market gathered rice and money little by little to make Jumeokbap for the citizen army, providing great support.
In particular, the current location of the Yangdong Administrative Welfare Center was originally the mill where the first Jumeokbap was made.
Accordingly, Yangdong has been holding the Jumeokbap reenactment event every May since 2019 to properly remember, inherit, and develop the history of May 18.
It is also promoting a ‘Historical Documentation Project’ that systematically collects and records the 100-year history of Yangdong.
District Mayor Kim Ikang said, “May 18 was a great citizen uprising that left a milestone of democracy, human rights, and peace not only in Gwangju but also in the history of democracy in South Korea and the world. Even when the city was isolated and faced death, the greatness of the citizens of Gwangju who protected the community through sharing and solidarity must be remembered by future generations, and we will do our best to carry on that spirit.”
Shin Dongho, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr
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