A "Shout for Democracy"
Wishing for Victory at the Home Game on the 18th
At 2:00 p.m. on May 18, a professional baseball home game for the KIA Tigers will be held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field (Champs Field). On this day, Gwangju City plans to host a "May 18 Special Event" to reaffirm the spirit of the "May 1980 Gwangju" community and the desire for democratization, as well as to wish for the KIA Tigers' victory.
On May 13, Gwangju City announced that it had requested the KIA club to organize events and cheering squads reflecting the meaning of May for the KIA Tigers vs. Doosan Bears home game at Champs Field on May 18.
This aligns with Gwangju City's intention to expand the May 18 commemoration into a festival of democracy on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the 5·18 Democratization Movement, and it is meant to share the meaning of "Victory of May Gwangju" with citizens.
Until now, at KIA Tigers home games held in Gwangju on May 18, cheering squads were not operated as a way to commemorate the victims of the 5·18 Democratization Movement, and fans also voluntarily refrained from cheering. However, there is now a growing consensus that it is necessary to incorporate the spirit of 5·18 into citizens' daily lives and culture, and efforts are being made to transform the event into a festival of democracy.
Before proposing the special event, the city gathered opinions from three official organizations?the May 18 Democratic Merit Families Association, the May 18 Merit Association, and the May 18 Injured Association?as well as the May 18 Memorial Foundation, the May 18 People's Uprising Commemoration Committee, the May Mothers' House, and People Who Love May. These groups agreed that, as times have changed, it is necessary to change the way cheering is conducted at the KIA Tigers home game on the anniversary in order to further expand the spirit of 5·18.
Kim Seongbae, Director of Culture and Sports, stated, "May 18 is a history that symbolizes democracy and the spirit of community," and added, "We will work closely with the KIA Tigers to reinterpret and elevate the spirit of May together with citizens within Gwangju's representative baseball culture."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
