Civil society groups in Gwangju have voiced opposition to Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, and his plan to pay respects at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery.
On November 5, 81 civil society organizations in the Gwangju area issued a joint statement, urging, "Jang Donghyuk, who has disparaged the May 18 Democratic Uprising and defended insurrection, must apologize."
Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the first meeting of the Special Committee on Real Estate Policy Normalization held at the National Assembly on the 22nd of last month. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
They criticized, "Although Representative Jang claims his visit to the Honam region aims to emphasize a commitment to national unity, his remarks and actions so far have been rooted in extreme ideology and have only fueled political division. This is a hypocritical move to exploit public sentiment in Honam for political gain."
The organizations pointed out, "In the past, as a chief judge in the defamation trial of Chun Doohwan, Representative Jang effectively delayed the proceedings by allowing Chun not to appear in court. Furthermore, during last year's 22nd National Assembly election, he supported the nomination of preliminary candidate Do Taewoo, who raised the possibility of North Korean involvement, thereby condoning distortion of the May 18 Democratic Uprising."
They also stated, "It is nothing but a political show for someone who has continued to make remarks defending insurrection-such as insisting that the impeachment of President Yoon Sukyeol should be dismissed-to pay respects to the spirits of those who fell victim to martial law under the military dictatorship."
Jang Donghyuk is scheduled to visit Gwangju on November 6 to pay respects at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery and to visit sites for a complex shopping mall and an AI data center.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
