Preliminary Candidate Lee Hyung-seok Urges "Thorough Investigation of Gwangju Prison Excavation"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Lee Hyung-seok, a preliminary candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea for the Gwangju Metropolitan City Buk-gu (Eul) National Assembly election, urged a thorough investigation into the identification of the missing persons from the May 18 Incident within the Gwangju Prison site.

Lee attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the 5th additional excavation survey of the suspected secret burial site related to the May 18 Democratic Movement the day before and said, "The old Gwangju Prison was where the 3rd Airborne Brigade was stationed during the May 18 Incident, and various records and testimonies from martial law troops indicated that bodies were buried there, so it seems highly related to the missing persons."

He continued, "The additional excavation site yielded numerous unidentified remains last December," and emphasized, "Recently, the National Forensic Service classified the excavated remains as a single object, increasing the number to about 260, and the area near the unclaimed graves is the old prison garden, suspected to be a secret burial site."

He added, "Since 1980, there have been 448 reports of missing persons related to May 18, but only 84 have been recognized as related after review," and stressed, "A thorough investigation must be conducted so that the grievances of the families who have suffered for 40 years can be resolved and no injustice remains from the sacrifices made under public authority."

Meanwhile, Lee Hyung-seok currently serves as the chairman of the 5·18 Gwangju Democratic Movement 40th Anniversary Special Committee and is promoting the inclusion of the 5·18 Spirit in the preamble of the Constitution as a key pledge to inherit and develop the spirit of Gwangju.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.