'Flyer Typo Shows Wrong Martyr Photo'... 5·18 Commemoration Ceremony Farce

Use of Park Hyun-sook Martyr's Photo in Park Geum-hee Martyr Introduction Video

5·18 Foundation Statement: "Hope No Trouble for Staff and Production Company"

Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs: "Will Apologize to Bereaved Families and Prepare Measures to Prevent Recurrence"

At the 44th anniversary commemoration ceremony of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, hosted by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, a video used a photo of a different person, and a brochure contained typos, causing an embarrassing incident.

According to the May 18 Memorial Foundation and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on the 18th, the video introduced the late martyr Park Geum-hee at the 44th anniversary commemoration ceremony of the May 18 Democratic Uprising.

Photo of the late Park Hyun-sook appearing in the introduction video of the late Park Geum-hee at the 44th Anniversary 5.18 Democratic Movement Commemoration Ceremony. / KBS broadcast screen capture

Martyr Park Geum-hee (16 years old at the time of death) was a victim during the lockdown operation carried out by martial law troops on May 21, 1980, on the road between Gwangju and Hwasun. Park, a second-year student at Chuntae Girls' Commercial High School, dreamed of becoming a nurse.

After hearing a vehicle broadcast saying "People are dying due to lack of blood," she boarded the protestors' blood donation bus, completed her blood donation, and was on her way home when the 11th Airborne Brigade and the 7th Airborne Brigade engaged in a firefight while moving from Chosun University to Junam Village. She was shot near the Sotae-dong bus terminal and died. She is currently resting at May 18 Cemetery, Section 1, Grave 1-26.

The problem was that along with Park Geum-hee’s photo during her lifetime, a blood donation certificate she received before May 18 was also shown, but the photo was actually of martyr Park Hyun-sook. Park Hyun-sook died from gunfire by martial law troops ambushing near Junam Village on May 23, 1980.

At that time, due to the large number of casualties, coffins were in short supply, and she boarded a citizen army bus heading to Hwasun to get a coffin but was killed. She is currently interred at May 18 Cemetery, Section 1, Grave 2-03.

The brochure distributed at the ceremony also contained typos. In the section introducing the progress of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, it was written as the special 'byeop' enactment for the investigation of the truth of the May 18 Democratic Uprising instead of 'beop' (law).

A typo in the 5.18 Memorial Ceremony booklet posted on the SNS of Jo Guk, leader of the Jo Guk Innovation Party. / Photo by Jo Guk via SNS capture

Cho Guk, leader of the National Innovation Party, criticized this on his SNS as "the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’ lack of sincerity."

In response, the May 18 Memorial Foundation stated in a press release, "The ceremony organizer, the May 18 Foundation, and the bereaved families’ association have consulted on the overall ceremony every year, but at some point, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs began preparing the ceremony excluding the parties and their organizations, causing various problems every year. This may be a simple mistake or accident by the staff, but it also reflects the limitations of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs working without involving the main parties and their organizations, who are the protagonists of commemoration and memory."

They added, "We hope that no staff members of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs or the video production company will suffer embarrassment because of this incident."

A Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs official said, "There was an error during the video production process," and added, "We apologize to the bereaved families and will prepare measures to prevent recurrence."