On the morning of the 17th, the 5·18 Democratic Merit Descendants Association held a memorial ceremony at the National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery in Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.
A memorial was held to honor the spirits who sacrificed their lives during the May 18 Democratic Movement.
The May 18 Democratic Patriots' Families Association held a memorial ceremony on the morning of the 17th at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery in Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.
The memorial ceremony, held a day before the 43rd anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement, attracted attention as Jeon Woo-won, the grandson of Jeon Du-hwan, also attended alongside representatives of May 18 organizations and bereaved families.
The event was conducted in two parts: Part 1 was a ritual for the victims, and Part 2 was the memorial ceremony. The ceremony proceeded in the order of ▲memorial address ▲greeting from the representative of the bereaved families ▲recitation of a memorial poem ▲singing of the "March for the Beloved" ▲offering flowers and incense.
Kang Gi-jung, Mayor of Gwangju, stated, "The spirit of May 18 must be included in the preamble of the Constitution," adding, "This is already a matter of national consensus, and there can be no division between progressives and conservatives, nor any ideological boundaries."
Yang Jae-hyuk, president of the bereaved families association, emphasized, "Although it is the 43rd anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement, May 18 still stands amid turmoil," and stressed, "To globalize the spirit of May, distorted history and perceptions must be corrected."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
