Yoon Seok-yeol Calls 'May 18 Execution Prisoner' Kim Jong-bae Who Said "I Want to Help"... "I Will Visit Gwangju Next Month"

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is applauding at the opening ceremony of Namsan Yejang Park in Seoul on the afternoon of the 9th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seo-young] Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol announced that he plans to visit Gwangju next month following his declaration to run for president on the 29th.

According to Yonhap News on the 25th, former lawmaker Kim Jong-bae previously stated that former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol called him and said, "I think there will be an opportunity to visit Gwangju in July, so I will contact you." Yoon's campaign later announced, "The specific visit schedule will be announced once confirmed."

The two are known to have spoken following Kim's media interview. Kim, who served as the chairman of the Citizens and Students Struggle Committee during the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980 and was sentenced to death, said in the interview the day before, "I later heard that Yoon Seok-yeol, while attending Seoul National University Law School, demanded the death penalty for Chun Doo-hwan in a mock trial, and I am very grateful," adding, "I want to support Yoon Seok-yeol."

Kim also said, "Among the opinion leader groups in Gwangju, there are people disappointed with the Moon Jae-in administration who support Yoon Seok-yeol," and added, "I want to organize these people so that Yoon Seok-yeol can receive balanced support nationwide." Furthermore, Kim conveyed that Yoon expressed gratitude during their phone call.

Earlier, on the 17th of last month, Yoon released a statement to the media saying, "The May 18 event is a living history that is still ongoing," and described it as "a strong rejection and resistance against dictatorship and totalitarianism." He also mentioned that it "proves that the spirit of the liberal democratic constitution is deeply embedded in the hearts of our people."

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