"Whose Democratic Cemetery Is It For?"... May Mothers Also Blocked from Paying Respects

Citizen Group "No Worship Allowed Without Genuine Apology"

"Who Are You to Block Us?"... 5·18 Members Also Oppose

Im Geundan Lady Also Blocked in Front of Minju's Gate

Even the May Mothers, who lost their sons during the May 18, 1980 Democratization Movement, could not pass through the Gate of Democracy at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery, blocked by civic groups.

The Special Forces Comrades Association and some May 18 organizations were blocked by civic groups from entering the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery in Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 3rd.
[Photo by Min Hyun-gi]

At around 11:30 a.m. on the 3rd, chaos erupted in front of the Gate of Democracy at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery in Unjeong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, as a civic group blocked the visit of the Special Forces Veterans Association (SFVA) who came to pay their respects.

Earlier, on the 1st, the May 18 Democratization Movement Injured Veterans Association and the Meritorious Persons Association, both public legal entities, announced that they would visit the Democratic Cemetery on the 3rd together with the SFVA to honor the May spirits, offer apologies, and pay respects.

In response, the May Guardianship Pan-City and Provincial Citizens’ Countermeasure Committee, composed of over 100 civic groups, warned of a large-scale blockade of the memorial visit from the morning of the same day, predicting clashes, and dozens of police officers were deployed for safety.

The committee stated, "On February 19, the Injured Veterans Association and the Meritorious Persons Association staged a political show called the 'Joint National Declaration' with the SFVA and suddenly trampled on the Democratic Cemetery," adding, "We absolutely cannot allow the SFVA’s visit to the Democratic Cemetery without a genuine apology to the citizens of Gwangju and Jeonnam and without the abolition of the deceptive Joint National Declaration."

Furthermore, the committee, along with one of the May Mothers accompanying the SFVA, Mother Im Geum-dan, blocked the visit, which led to a physical altercation between the agitated May 18 members and the committee.

Mrs. Im Geum-dan is the mother of Kim Gyeong-cheol, the first casualty of the May 18 Democratization Movement. Kim was caught in the indiscriminate massacre operation of the 7th Airborne Brigade while on his way to see off his brother-in-law who was going to Yeongam. Unable to hear the sounds and unaware of the situation, Kim was detained and never returned home.

From the Injured Veterans, Meritorious Persons, and SFVA camps, claims such as "Who are you to block the Gate of Democracy?", "How can you prevent us from paying respects when your son is buried here?", and "We need to meet the family members we lost in May 1980; please do not block us" were made. Meanwhile, the committee retorted, "Are you causing trouble by using the May Mothers as a front?" and "May Mothers and Fathers, please just go quietly, what are you trying to prove?"

As the two groups clashed and the situation became dangerous, the police immediately formed a "human wall" to separate the two groups. Im Seong-rok, an advisor to the Gwangju branch of the SFVA, knelt and bowed to the riot police, asking for their cooperation.

The intense confrontation between the two sides lasted for nearly an hour before the May groups and the SFVA stepped back, resolving the situation. Some members instead paid their respects by silently bowing outside the Gate of Democracy.

Mrs. Im appealed, "Over the years, no one has ever asked us for forgiveness or wiped away our tears. Now, the SFVA says they have come from afar to apologize, but it is shameful and heartbreaking that we are not even allowed to enter."

Im Seong-rok, advisor to the Gwangju branch of the SFVA, who was again unable to pay respects, said, "We are the perpetrators. Only recently have we begun to wipe away the tears my mother has shed for 43 years and sincerely apologize. If you tell us how to pay respects and apologize, we will follow exactly."