Criticism Over Denial of 5.18 Democracy Square Use
"Is Opposing Impeachment Automatically Far-Right?"
"Democratic Party-Style Double Standards"
Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung denied the use of the 5.18 Democracy Square for a rally opposing the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol, prompting criticism from People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won, who called it "Democratic Party-style double standards" and "a dictatorship suppressing freedom of expression."
On the 11th, Na posted on her social media, "Mayor Kang Ki-jung reportedly denied the use of 5.18 Square for the rally opposing the president's impeachment, labeling it a far-right rally." She questioned, "I ask Mayor Kang: Does opposing the president's impeachment automatically make one far-right and not a citizen of Gwangju?"
She continued, "Mayor Kang previously stated that 'public authorities and all state institutions should guarantee peaceful assemblies' when the police tried to restrict candlelight protests against the import of U.S. beef. As a member of the National Assembly, he also sponsored a bill to expand permission for nighttime rallies, emphasizing the constitutional value of protecting fundamental rights." Na criticized this as "a typical Democratic Party-style double standard of 'what was right then is wrong now.'"
She also emphasized, "5.18 Square is not the exclusive domain of any particular political faction but a space for all citizens, and the constitutional rights to assembly and association must be guaranteed to everyone." She concluded, "Suppressing freedom of expression and rejecting opinions different from one's own is dictatorship and damages the spirit of the 5.18 Democracy Square."
Kang Ki-jung, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City. Photo by Yonhap News Agency, provided by Gwangju City
Earlier, far-right YouTuber Ahn Jung-kwon inquired with the Gwangju city authorities about holding a rally opposing President Yoon's impeachment at the 5.18 Democracy Square on the 8th and 9th. However, when the city informed him that approval was impossible based on the 'Basic Ordinance on Upholding the Spirit of the May 18 Democratic Movement,' Ahn's side reported to the police that they would hold the rally in the Geumnam-ro area near the square.
On the 11th, Mayor Kang stated at a press meeting at Gwangju City Hall, "The far-right, who insist on holding rallies that provoke clashes and cause chaos, are not subjects for compromise." He added, "Despite the public's confirmation that the December 3 martial law was illegal and unconstitutional, we will not allow anti-constitutional and anti-democratic rallies that sympathize with rebellion and engage in propaganda and agitation. Gwangju is a city protected by people who uphold the constitution and love democracy. Far-right forces that deny the constitution and democracy in South Korea and Gwangju will not be tolerated."
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