May Organizations: "Changing the Name of Former South Jeolla Provincial Government Undermines the Spirit of 5·18"

May Mothers' House and 5.18 Seoul Memorial Association Issue Statement
"A Name Alone Holds Countless Meanings, Including Space and Symbolism"

The former Jeonnam Provincial Government Office building.

The May organizations have called on the government to immediately halt attempts to change the name of the former South Jeolla Provincial Government building, stating that such actions undermine the spirit of the 5·18 Democratization Movement.

The May Mothers' House and the 5·18 Seoul Memorial Association issued a statement on the 29th, saying, "Gwangju civic groups have protested that the name change, which was planned since the tenure of former Minister Yu In-chon under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, is being pushed forward without any historical reflection, and that the 'Former South Jeolla Provincial Government Restoration Task Force' is deliberately ignoring opposition to the name change." They further stated, "We cannot help but suspect that the intention behind pushing ahead despite opposition is to dilute the spirit of the 5·18 Democratization Movement and contaminate it with the New Right's historical perspective."

They explained, "The South Jeolla Provincial Government building was the command headquarters and the final stronghold of the citizens' army during May 1980, and it became the center of the Gwangju community in the absence of government authority. Even after the provincial government moved to Muan, the symbolic significance of this space led to countless civic movements and rallies for democratization, and the word 'provincial government' alone naturally evokes this place, which has already been firmly established as a sacred site of democracy."

They continued, "Last month, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Former South Jeolla Provincial Government Restoration Task Force unexpectedly held a forum on the name and operation plan for the restored building, and this month conducted a survey under the theme 'A space filled with memories, awaiting a new name.' Unaware of the details, citizens voted 'National 5·18 Democratic Uprising History Center' as their top choice, and the plan is to determine the new name of the building through a national public opinion poll in August, so that the new name will be used when the building is reopened after restoration is completed next May."

They emphasized, "The main setting of Han Kang's novel 'Human Acts,' which was a major reason for her Nobel Prize in Literature, is also the former South Jeolla Provincial Government building. The name registered in UNESCO's Memory of the World is likewise the proper noun 'Former South Jeolla Provincial Government.' A name carries countless meanings beyond a simple label."

In addition, they said, "The very name of the institution promoting the name change is the 'Former South Jeolla Provincial Government Restoration Task Force.' There is suspicion about what the institution hopes to gain by denying its own identity." They added, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the task force must not hide behind public opinion surveys but must reveal their true intentions. The Lee Jaemyung administration must stop the attempt to change the name."