Gwangsan District Council of Gwangju: "Jeon Du-hwan, Apologize to the Citizens of Gwangju and the Spirits of May 18"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] The Gwangsan District Council of Gwangju Metropolitan City stated on the 27th, “The defamation of the late Father Jo Bi-o by Jeon Du-hwan is defamation against the citizens of Gwangju, and he must immediately apologize to the citizens of Gwangju and the spirits of the May 18 Democratic Movement.”

On the same day, the district council issued a “Statement Urging Apology from Jeon Du-hwan for Distorting History and Insulting the Spirits of May 18,” saying, “The May 18 Democratic Movement is a representative democratization movement that contributed to the development of democracy in the Republic of Korea, but some forces are distorting and fabricating historical facts,” and added, “Jeon Du-hwan defamed Father Jo Bi-o, who witnessed helicopter shootings, by calling him a ‘shameless liar’ in his 2017 memoir, thereby committing defamation and historical distortion.”

The district council also urged the Gwangju District Court for a wise judgment.

The council stated, “There are additional witnesses to the helicopter shootings, and testimony from the ammunition manager at the time further confirms this undeniable fact, but Jeon Du-hwan consistently evades responsibility by claiming he is unrelated to May 18,” and emphasized, “The court should declare condemnation of Jeon Du-hwan, who belittles and distorts historical facts, and the National Assembly should promptly enact laws prohibiting distortion of May 18 history and punishing defamation.”

Furthermore, the council said, “Jeon Du-hwan’s acknowledgment of his crimes, apology, and receiving punishment would restore the honor of the spirits of the May 18 Democratic Movement,” and “We expect the court to seriously accept the demands of the citizens of Gwangju and the public and deliver a verdict condemning Jeon Du-hwan.”

The first trial sentencing hearing for Jeon Du-hwan, who was indicted for defamation of the deceased Father Jo Bi-o, will be held at 2 p.m. on the 30th at the Gwangju District Court.

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