[Full Text] President Moon's Commemorative Speech on the 40th Anniversary of the 5·18 Democratic Movement: "If the Truth Is Confessed Now, It Is the Path to Forgiveness"

President Moon Jae-in is delivering a commemorative speech at the 40th anniversary ceremony of the May 18 Democratic Uprising held on the morning of the 18th in front of the former Jeonnam Provincial Office in Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] President Moon Jae-in stated on the 18th regarding the May 18 Democratic Uprising, "The truth about state violence must be uncovered," expressing his determination to reveal the facts, and added, "If courage is shown now to confess the truth, the path to forgiveness and reconciliation will open."

At 10 a.m. that day, President Moon attended the '40th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony of the May 18 Democratic Uprising' held by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs at the Gwangju 5·18 Democracy Square (formerly in front of the Jeonnam Provincial Office). He identified the subjects for fact-finding as "identifying those who gave the shooting orders, the massacre of civilians committed by martial law troops, the truth about helicopter gunfire, and suspicions of concealment and fabrication." He emphasized, "Distortion and disparagement will no longer have a place."

The ceremony was held at the square in front of the former Jeonnam Provincial Office (5·18 Democracy Square), which was the headquarters and the last battleground during the May 18 Democratic Uprising. This was the first time in 23 years since the May 18 Democratic Uprising was designated a legal memorial day in 1997 that the ceremony was held at 5·18 Democracy Square instead of the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery.

Below is the full text of President Moon's commemorative speech.

[Full Text]

Dear fellow citizens,

Residents of Gwangju and Jeonnam cities and provinces,

It has been 40 years since the May Gwangju.

With the May 18 together with the citizens,

and hoping for the May 18 to be revived in daily life,

the government is holding the May 18 Democratic Uprising commemoration ceremony

for the first time not at the Mangwol-dong Cemetery,

but here at the square in front of the Jeonnam Provincial Office.

During the May 18 uprising, the square

was a gathering place to check on each other’s well-being,

and the leadership of the courageous struggle.

In the square,

we witnessed a grand community that can never be forgotten.

Even citizens and young students who did not directly participate in the protests

shared rice balls, cared for the wounded,

and willingly donated blood when there was a shortage.

We met our neighbors different from the dictatorial power,

and saw the true face of democracy worth sacrificing one’s life for.

The democracy scattered in front of the provincial office

has spread over the past 40 years to squares nationwide,

bringing people’s hands together.

Finally, May Gwangju expanded nationwide,

and the tomorrow that the martyrs dreamed of has become our today.

However, the world where we can live well together still has a long way to go.

Today, we need more squares

where we can trust and rely on each other.

Today at the May 18 square,

we meet the still burning hearts of the May spirits.

Honoring the May spirits who are always revived with the spirit of sharing, solidarity, and community,

I offer deep condolences and respect to the patriots and bereaved families

who have upheld their spirit as a promise of democracy.

To the citizens of Gwangju and Jeonnam who have nurtured and shared the ‘May Spirit,’

and to the people who remember Gwangju and protect democracy,

I extend special thanks.

Fellow citizens,

the ‘May Spirit’

was created as an answer to the pain of others

from the ordinary hopes of ordinary people.

The love for family and concern for neighbors gathered

to become a spirit of justice.

The encouragement and sharing among Gwangju citizens

was the strength to stand against the overwhelming force of the martial law troops.

Although Gwangju was completely isolated,

not a single case of looting or theft occurred.

People left money in unattended stores and took goods.

That spirit still

resides in the hearts of each of our people.

It became the strength that serves as a global model in overcoming COVID-19.

Gwangju was the first to prepare hospital beds for Daegu,

which was desperate for beds,

and Daegu patients were able to regain health and return home.

The ‘May Mothers’ shared hardships with the devoted medical staff in Daegu

through rice ball lunch boxes prepared with care.

The ‘May Spirit’ has responded to the call of history

and has become a noble spirit of sacrifice still alive today.

In the early morning of May 27, 1980,

citizens who fell at the Jeonnam Provincial Office by the guns and blades of martial law troops

believed that those left behind would open a better world.

They were confident that today’s defeat would become tomorrow’s victory.

The living responded to the call of the dead,

practicing democracy.

Revealing the truth of Gwangju became the democratization movement,

and May 18 became a great history of democracy in the Republic of Korea.

"Could I have stayed at the provincial office that day?"

Whatever the answer, if you have taken time to ask yourself,

you have responded to the victims of that day.

As people empathize with each other,

share pain, and create hope,

we empathized with the true history,

gained stronger courage, and created greater hope.

That is who our people are today.

The ‘May Spirit’ must be more widely shared

and be reborn anew across generations.

A young person said,

"If there is a special qualification to speak about May 18,

it means the May 18 spirit has not yet fully blossomed."

Generations who did not experience May 18 have been born and raised,

becoming parents of families and pillars of our society.

Even those who were not in Gwangju that day

have experienced Gwangju in their own way.

Yes.

The ‘May Spirit’ belongs to all of us, not to anyone alone.

The ‘May Spirit’ is alive only when it is constantly rediscovered

as a source of courage for us living in this era

and for the youth opening the future.

When the ‘May Spirit’ lives in our hearts,

the truth of May 18 will also be continuously uncovered.

Events sharing the ‘May Spirit’

are being held nationwide to mark the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising.

I sincerely thank all those conducting meaningful events during these difficult times.

The government and I

will always be with you so that the ‘May Spirit’ becomes our pride

and enriches the hearts and lives of future generations.

When we can help and share with each other, crisis becomes opportunity.

Crisis is always harsher on the weak.

When our solidarity

reaches even the weakest in our society,

and they can stand up,

our strength to overcome crisis will also grow stronger.

Future generations like Cha Kyung-tae and Kim Ryun-i,

who read the ‘progress report’ and ‘pledge’ today,

will be able to freely pursue their dreams in a just and fair world,

and we will strengthen the power of solidarity in our society.

Fellow citizens,

the citizens of Gwangju have cherished the honor of May 18 with pride beyond pain.

Many outside Gwangju have not turned a blind eye to Gwangju’s pain and have revealed its truth to the world.

The government will also do its best to uncover the truth of May 18.

The ‘May 18 Truth Investigation Committee,’ which officially began activities on May 12,

will be fully supported to reveal the remaining truths. (Applause)

As each truth is revealed to the world, the knots in our hearts will be untied one by one,

and we will be able to move closer to the path of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Distortion and disparagement will no longer have a place.

The truth about state violence, such as identifying those who gave shooting orders, the massacre of civilians by martial law troops,

and the truth and concealment/fabrication suspicions of helicopter gunfire, must be uncovered.

The purpose is not punishment.

It is to record history correctly.

If courage is shown now to confess the truth,

the path to forgiveness and reconciliation will open.

We will identify the whereabouts of the May 18 missing persons,

and ensure that no one suffers injustice in the restoration of honor and compensation for additional victims. (Applause)

Following the cancellation of dismissal for Chief Superintendent Lee Jun-gyu last year,

the disciplinary actions against 21 retired police officers disciplined for the May 18 Democratic Uprising were revoked yesterday.

We will also strive to restore the honor of various victims, including police officers, soldiers, and dismissed journalists.

The greatest driving force for fact-finding is

the people who empathize with Gwangju’s pain.

Our people, as sovereigns of the democratic republic,

have navigated the great currents of democracy from the April 19 Revolution, the Bu-Ma Democratic Protests, the May 18 Democratic Uprising, the June Struggle, to the Candlelight Revolution.

The people’s steps toward the complete truth of May 18

can never be reversed or stopped.

The truth that the people uncover and remember together

will become a force that makes our society more just,

and a foundation for national harmony and unity.

Inscribing the ‘May 18 Democratic Uprising’ in the preamble of the Constitution

is to establish May 18 as a great history of the Republic of Korea that no one can damage or deny. (Applause)

In 2018, I proposed a constitutional amendment

that included the ‘inheritance of the May 18 democratic ideals.’

I hope that if a constitutional amendment is made someday, that intention will be realized.

The decision by Gwangju City to designate the May 18 Democratic Uprising anniversary as a local holiday is very meaningful.

The ‘May Spirit’ will be continuously revived at the provincial office and the square.

Through the faithful restoration of the Jeonnam Provincial Office,

the government will actively support ensuring that the pain of Gwangju and the value of the righteous struggle

remain in history forever. (Applause)

Dear fellow citizens,

residents of Gwangju and Jeonnam,

40 years ago, Gwangju showed who the true owners of this country are

through noble courage and dedication.

We recalled Gwangju and asked ourselves whether we were just,

and by holding each other’s hands with that question,

we did not lose courage toward democracy.

The power to change the world always lies with the people.

Through Gwangju, we experienced that democracy is gathering more hearts, sharing more,

and communicating more deeply.

That experience engraved in us

will always be our greatest strength in the face of any difficulty.

Now, we must realize democracy not only in politics and society,

but also in families, workplaces, and the economy,

and remember once again the square in front of the Jeonnam Provincial Office in May

for a world order of sharing and cooperation.

That is the true way for the living to respond to the call of the dead

who died defending the provincial office that day.

Thank you.

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