Special Act on Truth Investigation of the May 18 Democratization Movement Passes National Defense Committee by Bipartisan Agreement

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] The "5·18 Special Act Amendment" passed the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly on the 8th through bipartisan agreement.

On the same day, the National Defense Committee approved the amendment to the Special Act on the Investigation of the Truth about the May 18 Democratic Movement at a plenary meeting. The bill, jointly proposed by Seol Hoon of the Democratic Party of Korea, aims to extend the activity period of the May 18 Democratic Movement Truth Investigation Committee and broaden the scope of victims and affected persons.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the revised bill, the National Defense Committee also decided to include investigations into damages suffered by the military and police. Ha Tae-kyung of the People Power Party stated, "I believe this will be a valuable opportunity to achieve reconciliation between both camps," adding, "Since the investigation of damages to the military and police has been newly included in the bill, I hope the investigation will be conducted sincerely with the determination to fundamentally heal the wounds of the era."

Hong Young-pyo of the Democratic Party emphasized, "It is historic that the ruling and opposition parties passed this bill together," and added, "Revealing the historical truth of May 18 in modern history is extremely important for the unity and future of the Republic of Korea. National unity is possible only when the truth is uncovered."

Song Seon-tae, Chairperson of the May 18 Democratic Movement Truth Investigation Committee, said, "We will reveal to the public 40 years of suspicion, 40 years of lies, and 40 years of silence."

Min Hong-chul, Chairperson of the National Defense Committee, also remarked, "It is meaningful that the bill passed through bipartisan agreement," and added, "I pay tribute to the National Defense Committee's resolution and opinions for reconciliation and unity."

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