Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Supports 'May Fist Bread' Reflecting the Spirit of May 18 Gwangju

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, is supporting the residents of Bonryang-dong so that the ‘May Fist Bread’ made with domestic wheat can continue to travel nationwide this year, the 41st anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, to spread the spirit of Gwangju.

This year, a portion of the sales proceeds is planned to be used as donations to support the democracy movement in Myanmar.

On the 27th, Gwangsan-gu announced that it will support the promotion of ‘May Fist Bread’ by Bonbbang Cooperative, a village enterprise in the district that promotes the spirit of May 18.

On the 16th, Gwangsan-gu also signed an agreement with Bonbbang Cooperative for this year’s village enterprise development project.

A village enterprise is a business where local residents utilize regional resources to create income and jobs, realizing the benefits of the local community. It is designated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and can receive a total of 100 million KRW in support up to the third year.

Bonbbang Cooperative, established in March last year by 33 residents of Bonryang-dong, operates a cafe in Bonryang-dong and produces products such as plum barley bread, Sikhye (sweet rice drink), and homemade syrup using local agricultural products.

Moreover, with ‘May Fist Bread’ containing the story of May in Gwangju, they are widely spreading the value and meaning of the May 18 Democratic Uprising.

Bonbbang Cooperative was designated as a preliminary village enterprise by Gwangju City last May and was selected as a village enterprise by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety this year, receiving 50 million KRW in support.

Based on this, they plan to actively promote ‘May Fist Bread’ through more diverse channels and methods this year.

‘May Fist Bread,’ first introduced last year on the 40th anniversary of May 18, engraved the painful story of Gwangju, which was blocked by martial law troops in May 1980 and could not be conveyed, on the inside of the packaging.

When purchasing ‘May Fist Bread,’ a ‘May Letter’ containing the story of May and a time-record of the 10-day May 18 People’s Uprising are enclosed.

Bonbbang Cooperative promotes ‘May Fist Bread’ nationwide through local governments, institutions, as well as online and offline channels such as SNS and live commerce.

Additionally, sales linked to May 18 classes and May 18 commemorative events are also planned.

Starting next month, ‘May Fist Bread’ will also be delivered with Myanmar postcards. This symbolizes solidarity with the democratic struggle of Myanmar citizens, whose pain from May 1980 is vividly reflected.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Bonbbang Cooperative’s ‘May Fist Bread’ will be donated as support funds for Myanmar’s democracy movement.

A Gwangsan-gu official said, “We hope that Bonbbang Cooperative will continue to contribute to the local community’s benefits and social value creation by utilizing village resources,” and added, “We will actively support the nationwide spread of the May 18 Gwangju spirit through SNS promotion, card news production, and installation of sales booths.”

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