First Visit to Honam After Liberation Day Pardon,
Pays Tribute at May 18 Cemetery
"Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee Imprisoned... They Must Be Strictly Punished"
On Party Merger: "Success of the Lee Administration and Improving People's Lives Come First"
Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Research Institute of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, is entering before paying respects at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery in Buk-gu, Gwangju on the 26th. Photo by Song Bohyun
Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Research Institute of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, visited the Honam region for the first time since his Liberation Day special pardon and reinstatement. On the 26th, while paying respects at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery in Buk-gu, Gwangju, he stated, "When I first learned about the martial law coup d'etat situation orchestrated by Yoon Suk-yeol and his group, the first thing that came to my mind was May 18."
Cho said, "They tried to round up and detain many politicians, including myself, but the courageous fight of the people repelled them. Yoon Suk-yeol, Kim Keon-hee, and others are now imprisoned, and they deserve to be strictly punished. I am grateful to the people who fought for this, especially the citizens of Gwangju."
On this day, he visited the first and second burial sites as well as the old cemetery in succession to pay tribute to the fallen. In the guestbook, he wrote, "With the spirit of Gwangju, I will completely end the rebellion and pursue politics that strengthen the livelihood of the people."
At the old cemetery, he left a message while firmly stepping on the 'Chun Doo-hwan monument.' Cho remarked, "I used to think that military dictatorships or coups only happened in underdeveloped foreign countries. After Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, I thought such things would never happen again. However, Yoon Suk-yeol, unsatisfied with a prosecutorial dictatorship, staged a coup. Many citizens will step on Chun Doo-hwan's gravestone and reflect on the meaning of democracy. I am convinced that Yoon Suk-yeol's fate will soon follow the same path."
Jokook, head of the Innovation Policy Research Institute of the Jokook Innovation Party, visited the National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery in Bukgu, Gwangju on the 26th and wrote in the guestbook, "I will carry out politics that completely end the rebellion with the spirit of Gwangju and strengthen the livelihood of the people." Photo by Song Bohyun
After finishing his visit, he recalled, "When I first decided to establish the party and visited this place, it rained so heavily that I did a media interview with my underwear soaked. Now, after regaining my freedom through reinstatement, I have come back, and it is raining again." He continued, "Last night, I was startled and lost sleep after seeing that President Trump of the United States posted on social media just before the Korea-U.S. summit. Fortunately, I was relieved to confirm that the summit went well." He introduced that he posted on social media, "I support President Lee Jaemyung. Behind the president stands the people of the Republic of Korea."
Regarding a possible merger with the Democratic Party, he said, "For the past year and a half, we fought with the goal of ending the prosecutorial dictatorship regime early and impeaching Yoon Suk-yeol, and we have achieved that. Now, the priority is to ask what the tasks of our era are." He then presented the following tasks: ensuring the success of President Lee Jaemyung, holding the unrepentant People Power Party accountable, and improving the conditions of people's lives.
He stated, "To achieve these tasks, we must ask whether it is better to rely solely on the Democratic Party or to work together with the Cho Kuk Innovation Party. Simply asking about a merger misses the essence of the matter." He also emphasized, "We must absolutely prevent the People Power Party from winning even a single metropolitan mayor or governor position in the local elections. To achieve this, I will cooperate with the Democratic Party."
Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Research Institute of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, is paying silent tribute to the fallen spirits at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery in Buk-gu, Gwangju, on the 26th. Photo by Song Bohyun
On this day, Cho Kuk hinted at his intention to run for party leader. He said, "The purpose of the local elections proposed by former President Kim Dae-jung through his hunger strike was to strengthen grassroots, everyday politics. I want to discover new, young politicians in Gwangju and Jeonnam-new DJs or a second Roh Moo-hyun-and create a new current in politics starting from the grassroots."
After paying his respects, Cho visited the Gwangju Archdiocese to meet with Archbishop Ok Hyunjin and is scheduled to visit the Jeonnam and Jeonbuk regions on the 27th and 28th, respectively.
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