Lee Jae-myung: "The Spirit of May 18 Gwangju Must Be Included in the Constitution's Preamble"

Meeting with May 18 Victims' Families at Geumnam-ro in Gwangju
Lee: "People Power Party Has Repeatedly Mentioned This"
"Sequential Amendments According to Consensus"

Lee Jae-myung, former Democratic Party leader and presidential pre-candidate of the Democratic Party, stated on the 24th, "I believe the spirit of Gwangju must be included in the preamble of the Constitution."

On the afternoon of the 24th, at Jeonil Building 245 in Dong-gu, Gwangju, Lee Jae-myung, former Democratic Party leader and presidential pre-candidate of the Democratic Party, is embracing Kim Gilja, the mother of the late activist Moon Jae-hak. Moon Jae-hak is the main character in the novel "The Boy Who Came" by Han Kang, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature. [National Assembly Joint Press Corps] Yonhap News Photo by Yonhap

On the afternoon of the same day, during a visit to Geumnam-ro in Dong-gu, Gwangju, where he met with families of the May 18 victims and others, Lee said, "It is not realistic to amend all articles of the Constitution at once, so I think it would be appropriate to revise them sequentially according to what can be agreed upon."

He added, "The inclusion of the spirit of May 18 Gwangju in the preamble of the Constitution is something that the People Power Party has repeatedly mentioned whenever they visit Gwangju," and continued, "Of course, I cannot know what their true intentions were."

He further emphasized, "Because the People Power Party was uncooperative regarding the revision of the National Referendum Act, it has become realistically difficult to amend the Constitution simultaneously with the presidential election this time. However, I believe it would have been desirable to amend the Constitution for those matters on which agreement could be reached even now. That has also been my official position."

He also said, "It is actually desirable to address issues such as the power structure and conflicts of interest simultaneously with the presidential election," but added, "Now, since it has become impossible in reality to do so at the same time as the presidential election, I think it is best for the next presidential candidates, whose terms will begin, to make constitutional amendment pledges, receive the people's mandate, and then carry out the amendment during the next term based on that."

Regarding the 12·3 Martial Law, he stated, "Even now, the 'rebellion' and 'military coup' have not ended," and pointed out, "We still do not know exactly who played what role or who was involved. They still hold the power of the state." He further criticized, "They shamelessly and boldly continue to protect all sorts of rebellion forces even now," and emphasized, "Going forward, we must overcome the national crisis that followed the rebellion and move forward once again as a prosperous community."

He also said, "I named the process of overcoming the 12·3 rebellion the 'Revolution of Light,' and the reason I thought of it that way is because of Gwangju, which is known as 'Bitgoeul' (City of Light). The only case in world history where the people peacefully ousted a president happened for the second time in Korea. That is why the Republic of Korea is truly a great nation," he said.