Gwangju City Requests Immediate Issues at the Democratic Party's Supreme Council Meeting

“Special Act to Punish Distortion of 5·18 History, Proposed as the First Bill of the 21st National Assembly”

Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, is delivering a greeting at the 'Democratic Party On-site Supreme Council Meeting' held on the afternoon of the 18th at Jeonil Building 245, Geumnam-ro, Dong-gu. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] On the afternoon of the 18th, Gwangju Metropolitan City requested active party-level support for resolving urgent issues such as the enactment of the ‘Special Act on Punishment for Distortion of the May 18 History’ through the Democratic Party of Korea’s Supreme Council meeting held at Jeonil Building 245.

On this day, marking the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement, the Democratic Party of Korea held an on-site Supreme Council meeting in Gwangju attended by key party officials including Representative Lee Hae-chan, Floor Leader Kim Tae-nyeon, Supreme Council members, and elected members of the 21st National Assembly from the Gwangju region.

At the Supreme Council meeting, Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop stated, “Although it is the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement, the truth about the initial shooting order, missing persons, and helicopter shootings has not yet been revealed, and distortion and disparagement of May 18 continue,” and requested, “To eradicate this, please enact the ‘Special Act on Punishment for Distortion of the May 18 History’ as the first bill of the 21st National Assembly.”

The Special Act on Punishment for Distortion of the May 18 History aims to prohibit anti-historical acts that deny, slander, distort, fabricate, or spread false information about the historical facts and values of the May 18 Democratic Movement, thereby preventing further national division and establishing the May 18 Democratic Movement as a just history with a solid legal foundation.

The mayor also proposed expanding national funding support and revising the supplementary provisions of the Special Act on the Creation of the Asia Culture Centered City to ensure that the Asia Culture Centered City project can get on track within the Moon Jae-in administration’s term and to stabilize the operation of the Culture Complex.

The Asia Culture Centered City project, a campaign promise of former President Roh Moo-hyun, has so far focused national funding mainly on the construction of the Culture Complex, with support for key local government subsidy projects such as creating a cultural urban environment being significantly insufficient.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop emphasized, “On the 40th anniversary of May 18, I earnestly ask the Democratic Party of Korea to join in the fact-finding and enactment of the ‘Special Act on Punishment for Distortion of the May 18 History’ so that we can put an end to the history of discord, transform May 18 from the past to the future, from Gwangju’s May 18 to Korea’s and the world’s May 18, and from May 18 of resentment and anger to May 18 of integration and harmony.”

Meanwhile, before the Supreme Council meeting, the Democratic Party of Korea leadership toured Jeonil Building 245, which recently completed remodeling and reopened, and inspected the original preservation space where 245 helicopter bullet marks from the May 18 incident can be directly seen.

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