Democratic Party Gwangju Branch: "Kim Jong-in's Visit to the 5·18 Cemetery, Hope It Was a Sincere Step"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] On the 19th, as Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman, paid respects at the National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery, the Democratic Party Gwangju Metropolitan City Party stated, “We hope that Kim Jong-in’s visit to the 5·18 Democratic Cemetery was a sincere step, not a ‘planned show’ to deceive Gwangju once again.”

The Democratic Party Gwangju City Party said in a statement that day, “We feel both gratitude and regret that the United Future Party, which suffered a bitter defeat in the 21st general election, visited the 5·18 Democratic Cemetery for the first time after transitioning to an emergency committee system, albeit belatedly.”

They added, “For the past 40 years, the citizens of Gwangju have cried out for the truth to be uncovered about why my parents, my children, and my family had to fall to the bullets and blades of the martial law troops,” emphasizing, “It was a time of enduring pain buried deep in our hearts for the purpose of uncovering the truth not for punishment but to record the correct history.”

They continued, “Nevertheless, over the past 40 years, the United Future Party and its predecessor parties have used every means to distort, belittle, and obstruct the truth-finding of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.”

The Gwangju City Party stated, “Today, Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman, knelt before the spirits of May and tearfully issued an apology,” and added, “We request the sincere participation of the United Future Party on this path and hope that the promise made by Floor Leader Joo Ho-young on May 17 to ‘establish legal and institutional measures for a proper historical evaluation of May 18’ will be fulfilled.”

They further pledged, “We will definitely complete the revision of the May 18-related laws, expand the roles and authority of the May 18 Truth-finding Investigation Committee, and enact the law to punish distortion of May 18 history in the 21st National Assembly,” promising, “We will enshrine the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement in the preamble of the Constitution to make it a great history of the Republic of Korea that no one can damage or deny.”

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