5·18 Omitted from Constitution, Yoon's Commemorative Speech Called "Empty Words" by Opposition

Attendance Itself Praised, No Mention of 5·18 Constitution
Ruling Party Sees One-Point Constitutional Amendment as Opposition's Tactic to Shift the Situation

President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the 5·18 Democratization Movement commemoration ceremony for the second consecutive year on the 18th. Following last year’s attendance as the first president from a conservative administration to participate in the ceremony, he received praise for fulfilling his promise to "come every year" this year as well, signaling efforts toward national unity.

In his speech on the 43rd anniversary of the 5·18 Democratization Movement that morning, President Yoon emphasized, "The May spirit is the very spirit of the free democratic constitution and a precious asset that we must inherit," adding, "We must boldly confront and fight against all forces and challenges that threaten freedom and democracy."

However, criticism arose over his failure to explicitly mention the implementation of "including the 5·18 spirit in the preamble of the constitution." This issue, which May-related organizations have consistently advocated for, sparked controversy after opposition from Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, and has become a heated topic in political circles.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, criticized the omission of "including the 5·18 spirit in the constitutional preamble" from the commemorative speech. After attending the 5·18 ceremony, Lee told reporters, "While they talk about inheriting the May spirit and free democracy, unless they carry out the promised one-point constitutional amendment or reflect on and take measures to prevent the recurrence of harm to the lives and livelihoods of the people caused by state violence, it is all empty talk."

Lee Jeong-mi, leader of the Justice Party, also stated, "I found it hard to hide my anger while listening to President Yoon’s soulless 5·18 commemorative speech." Through Facebook that day, she criticized, "Reconciliation and unity were mere words in President Yoon’s speech, and there was no apology, reflection, or firm promise of action regarding the behavior of government and ruling party officials who threatened and damaged the Gwangju spirit over the past year. He did not utter a single word about the implementation plan for including the 5·18 spirit in the constitution, which he himself promised."

President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a commemorative speech at the 43rd anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising ceremony held at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery in Buk-gu, Gwangju on the 18th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

May-related organizations also expressed regret over the absence of related remarks. While viewing the president and ruling party lawmakers’ attendance at the ceremony for two consecutive years positively, they pointed out that the statement remained at a general level without clear mention of the push to include the 5·18 spirit in the constitutional preamble.

The May Spirit Protection Pan-City and Provincial Citizens’ Countermeasure Committee issued a press release immediately after the ceremony, harshly criticizing, "The commemorative speech was so poor that it is embarrassing even to comment on it."

The organization added, "It will be remembered as the worst commemorative speech ever, revealing a profound misunderstanding and low-level perception of the history and spirit of 5·18. The content was entirely unrelated to the purpose of commemorating 5·18 and inheriting its spirit," and criticized, "One cannot help but fundamentally question why the president attended the ceremony." This organization is composed of 196 local civil society groups, including the May Mothers’ House, Gwangju Citizens’ Organizations Council, and Gwangju-Jeonnam Women’s Organizations Federation.

The presidential office views the Democratic Party’s one-point constitutional amendment proposal as a political ploy to change the situation. A presidential office official told the media that the Democratic Party’s proposal to include the 5·18 Democratization Movement in the constitutional preamble through a "one-point constitutional amendment" is "an insult to the 5·18 spirit," adding, "This one-point constitutional amendment proposal is nothing more than a political trick by corrupt politicians to change the situation."

While President Yoon’s conviction that the 5·18 spirit is the very spirit of the constitution remains unchanged, it is understood that he is unwilling to join the opposition party’s attempt to use this as a way out of controversies such as the coin scandal. During his presidential campaign on November 10, 2021, in Gwangju, Yoon stated, "I have long argued that the 5·18 spirit is the spirit of free democracy and the spirit that protects our constitutional values, so it must naturally be included in the constitutional preamble."