Gwangju City Council 5·18 Special Committee Concludes Amid Positive Assessment of Active Efforts

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The 5·18 Special Committee of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Chairperson Jeong Da-eun) concluded its activities with a ‘Reply! 1980! Relay 5-Minute Free Speech’ and a ‘Banner Protest’ against President Yoon Seok-yeol.

The 5·18 Special Committee announced on the 27th that it will end all official activities on the 30th, following the meeting to adopt the ‘Report on the Activities of the 5·18 Special Committee.’

During its 347-day activity period, the committee held five special committee meetings, 14 external briefings, seven forums, three field visits, two opinion polls, three business agreements, seven statements, and nine media contributions, engaging in extensive activities.

On May 11, 2023, just days before the 5·18 anniversary, five young council members initiated the committee through a ‘Relay 5-Minute Free Speech,’ addressing issues related to the 5·18 event such as subjectivity of the participants, administrative and political responsibility, and poor management of related organizations and institutions.

Subsequently, the resolution to form the 5·18 Special Committee was passed at the plenary session on July 19 of the same year, with Councilor Jeong Da-eun appointed as chairperson and Councilor Myeong Jin as vice-chairperson, forming a nine-member special committee.

It is evaluated inside and outside the council that the committee actively worked without hesitation to bring 5·18 issues to the surface by holding three citizen-centered forums called ‘May Dialogue.’

Also, ahead of the comprehensive report release by the 5·18 Truth Investigation Committee, the special committee demanded the disclosure of individual reports and public opinion gathering. Together with the Gwangju-Jeonnam branch of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society and the Gwangju-Jeonnam Journalists Association, they operated roundtables, leading the local community’s response and contributing to the disclosure of individual reports and the shift in direction of the comprehensive report.

Since 5·18-related ordinances were being created and operated in a piecemeal and inefficient manner, the committee consolidated 11 ordinances and enacted the ‘Basic Ordinance on the Succession of the Spirit of the May 18 Democratic Movement.’

They also established a support system to enable 5·18 sexual violence victims to exercise their rights during compensation and litigation procedures by linking the Gwangju-Jeonnam branch of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society with women’s organizations.

Furthermore, to establish a permanent cooperative system among regional councils with experiences of state violence, they formed the ‘Southern Region Democratic Peace Belt’ through business agreements with the Jeonnam Provincial Council and Jeju Provincial Council.

The special committee remained active until just before the end of its activities. A few days before concluding, on the 25th, it signed a business agreement with the 5·18-related institutions’ policy council. On the 26th, it sent official letters to the Speaker of the National Assembly, all political parties, and local members of the National Assembly, urging the inclusion of the 5·18 spirit in the preamble of the Constitution, evaluation of the 5·18 Truth Investigation Committee’s activities, and follow-up measures.

Chairperson Jeong Da-eun plans to visit the National Assembly next week, after the committee’s activities end, to appeal to local members of the National Assembly for follow-up legislation and other measures.

Chairperson Jeong Da-eun said, “Thanks to the dedication and efforts of all members of the Gwangju community, the special committee’s activities can be positively evaluated as having been relatively well concluded, but there are still issues to be resolved.” She added, “I propose that we work together so that next year’s 45th anniversary 5·18 commemoration ceremony can be a ceremony honoring the 5·18 spirit enshrined in the Constitution.”