Jung Chungrae: "The Spirit of May 18 in Gwangju Continues Through the Candlelight Revolution and the Constitution"

Connecting the Candlelight Revolution and the Constitution at Chonnam National University’s May 18 Lecture
"The Constitutional Court’s Ruling Shows the Weight of the Constitution"
"Today’s Democracy Is the History Protected by Gwangju"

Jung Chungrae, Chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized that the spirit of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement was carried on by the Candlelight Revolution and has become a force for upholding the Constitution today.

Jung Chungrae, Chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea. Yonhap News

According to the Democratic Party of Korea and others on May 9, Chairman Jung stated in a special lecture commemorating the 45th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, held the previous day at the Convention Hall of Yongji Hall at Chonnam National University in Buk-gu, Gwangju, "If it were not for May 18, there would have been no June Struggle in 1987, and the current Constitution would not exist. The spirit of Gwangju has become the force that protects democracy today."

He said, "In the past, the Constitution allowed the president to dissolve the National Assembly and appoint one-third of its members, but the current Constitution stipulates that if the National Assembly decides to lift martial law, the president must comply. Thanks to this provision, martial law could be ended."

He continued, "Citizens and lawmakers who remembered the sacrifices in Gwangju stood up to block the martial law forces, and the spirit of May 18 prevented the December 3 Rebellion and the judicial coup. The Constitution is not just a law but the backbone of democracy, and protecting it is the same as protecting democracy itself."

Chairman Jung referred to Article 77 (Martial Law) and Article 84 (Presidential Criminal Immunity) of the Constitution, stating, "An incumbent president cannot be punished for ordinary criminal offenses, but in cases of rebellion or treason, exceptions can be made." He added, "The Constitutional Court once ruled that 'the benefit of upholding the Constitution outweighs the loss from the removal of the president.' That is the weight of the Constitution."

At the end of his lecture, he said, "A Constitution written with blood as ink cannot be erased by any tongue or dug out by any gun or sword. The spirit of Gwangju is still alive today, and it continues as the principle of popular sovereignty in Article 1 of the Constitution."

Meanwhile, Chairman Jung recently declared his intention to embark on a "one-month stay in Honam" as a joint head of the Democratic Party’s presidential election campaign in Gwangju and Jeonnam, announcing his plan to personally tour the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions to campaign. He said, "The more favorable Gwangju and Jeonnam are to the Democratic Party, the more sincere devotion is required," adding, "I will visit every alley, every rice paddy and field, and sincerely explain why Lee Jaemyung should be president."