Opening Ceremony of the 11th Anniversary Peace Week Event for President Kim Dae-jung's Passing

Operation of 'Kim Daejung Peace Week' at Kim Daejung Convention Center from 13th to 18th

On the afternoon of the 13th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, attended the opening ceremony of the Peace Week event commemorating the 11th anniversary of President Kim Dae-jung's passing, held on the special stage at Kim Dae-jung Hall on the 1st floor of the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Seo-gu. He is seen viewing the archive exhibition with guests. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] On the 11th anniversary of the passing of President Kim Dae-jung, the ‘Kim Dae-jung Peace Week’ opened on the 13th at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center to commemorate the former president and reflect on his spirit.

The ‘Kim Dae-jung Peace Week’ was established following a proposal by Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, last year on the 10th anniversary of President Kim Dae-jung’s passing, suggesting the designation of a ‘Kim Dae-jung Peace Week’ for memorial purposes.

In particular, the Peace Week was set from the 13th to the 18th to remember August 13, when President Kim Dae-jung was kidnapped by agents of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency in Tokyo, Japan during the Yushin regime in 1973 while participating in the democratization movement and survived, and August 18, 2009, when he passed away at the age of 85.

On the first day, the program proceeded with a report on the designation process of Peace Week by Yoon Seung-jung, Executive Director of the Kim Dae-jung 11th Anniversary Gwangju Event Committee, followed by the opening declaration of Peace Week by Kim Hoo-sik, Standing Director of the same committee, a commemorative speech by Mayor Lee Yong-seop, a tape-cutting ceremony and viewing of an archive exhibition displaying photos, videos, artworks, and quotes of President Kim Dae-jung.

On the 14th, academic events and special lectures will be held with experts.

At the academic events, Kim Yong-bok, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Life Research Institute, and Jeong Wook-sik, Standing Representative of the Peace Network, will present on the themes of ‘The Vision of Kim Dae-jung’s Sunshine Policy for World Peace and Human Coexistence’ and ‘The Realities and Prospects of Inter-Korean, South Korea-US, and North Korea-US Relations.’ Additionally, Kim Jun-hyung, President of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, will be invited to deliver a special lecture on ‘Kim Dae-jung’s Diplomacy and National Interest-First Principle’ to carry on Kim Dae-jung’s spirit.

On the 16th, a citizen participation talk concert on the May 18 Gwangju Uprising and the spirit of Gwangju will be held, and on the 17th, an exhibition covering 120 years of Korea’s modern and contemporary democratic history from the Donghak Peasant Revolution to the Candlelight Revolution, as well as a Democratic Human Rights Peace Forum to reflect on and honor President Kim Dae-jung’s spirit, will be prepared.

On the final day, the 18th, a memorial ceremony and memorial concert will take place.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop said, “Through meaningful events such as the academic sessions held during this ‘Kim Dae-jung Peace Week,’ I hope that ‘Kim Dae-jung’ and ‘Gwangju’ will meet again to lead future-oriented discourse and become a venue to seek solutions for the serious challenges of our times.”

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