Gwangju City Holds Memorial Ceremony for the 11th Anniversary of President Kim Dae-jung's Passing

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced that on the afternoon of the 18th, it held the ‘11th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony and Memorial Concert for the Passing of President Kim Dae-jung’ at the special hall on the 1st floor of the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the death of President Kim Dae-jung.

This event is part of the ‘Kim Dae-jung Peace Week’ program, which was prepared after Mayor Lee Yong-seop proposed designating ‘Kim Dae-jung Peace Week’ last year to commemorate the 10th anniversary of President Kim Dae-jung’s passing.

Prior to this, from the 13th, designated as Kim Dae-jung Peace Week, a series of events including the opening ceremony, archive exhibition, academic events, talk concerts, and the Democracy, Human Rights, and Peace Forum were held sequentially.

The memorial ceremony on this day solemnly proceeded in the order of the national anthem, moment of silence, a progress report by Yoon Seung-jung, Executive Director of the Gwangju Event Committee for the 11th Anniversary of Kim Dae-jung’s Passing, an opening address by Kim Hu-sik, former Chairman of the 5·18 Democratic Movement Victims Association, a memorial speech by Mayor Lee Yong-seop, and a thank-you speech by Choi Young-tae, Co-Chairman of the Gwangju Event Committee for the 11th Anniversary of Kim Dae-jung’s Passing.

In his memorial speech, Mayor Lee Yong-seop stated, “Former President Kim Dae-jung and Gwangju share an inseparable and very special relationship,” adding, “President Kim referred to Gwangju as a ‘companion in hardship,’ and the democratic, human rights, and peace spirit symbolized by ‘Kim Dae-jung’ was achieved together with the citizens of Gwangju and has become a universal value for humanity.”

He continued, “Although the ‘Kim Dae-jung Peace Week’ event, designated for the first time this year on the 11th anniversary of his passing, was significantly scaled down due to COVID-19 and flood damage, meaningful occasions such as academic events and special lectures were held, providing a valuable time to reflect on the ‘Kim Dae-jung spirit’ and discuss future-oriented discourse.”

He also emphasized, “The spirit of the times now demands ‘Kim Dae-jung leadership,’ which protected the values of democracy, human rights, and peace without fear of personal sacrifice,” and added, “Gwangju is taking the words of President Kim Dae-jung to heart?that ‘if you hesitate out of fear, nothing can change’?and is proactively preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the post-COVID era.”

In particular, he said, “By responding actively and preemptively in this era of great transformation, we are creating new jobs and securing urban competitiveness,” and “Gwangju will devote itself to realizing the country that President Kim Dae-jung dreamed of and hoped for, and to establishing it as the future of the Republic of Korea.”

Meanwhile, after the memorial ceremony, a memorial concert titled ‘11 Years of Longing, Singing Again’ featured performances by a male quartet, soprano Kim Sun-hee, singer-songwriter Jung Yong-joo, and the Gwangju Municipal Choir.

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