Yoon's First Official Event After Inauguration as President: '5·18 Commemoration Ceremony'

First President to Attend After Special Law Amendment
Expected to Deliver a Message of National Unity

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a commemorative speech at the 62nd anniversary of the April 19 Revolution ceremony held at the National April 19 Democratic Cemetery in Ui-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul on the 19th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy reporters Yoo In-ho and Lee Ki-min] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol has chosen the May 18 Memorial Ceremony as his first official external event after his inauguration on the 10th. It is reported that President-elect Yoon will attend the 'May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement' memorial ceremony as president and deliver a message of national unity.

According to President-elect Yoon's side and the Presidential Transition Committee (Transition Committee) on the 2nd, Yoon has decided to attend the 42nd anniversary May 18 Memorial Ceremony held at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery in Mangwol-dong, Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 18th. Yoon's side is coordinating the list of attendees, including ruling and opposition politicians, civil society organizations, families and related persons of the May 15 democratization movement, as well as detailed schedules, and conducting security checks.

This attendance at the May 18 Memorial Ceremony is evaluated to have symbolic meaning as it is the first official external schedule after the president's inauguration. Since President-elect Yoon has emphasized national unity by attempting to embrace regardless of regional colors or factional logic since his candidacy, it is interpreted that he decided the May 18 Memorial Ceremony as his first external event. Most past presidents attended the May 18 Memorial Ceremony in their first year of office. Conservative government presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye also attended the May 18 Memorial Ceremony in 2008 and 2013, respectively.

In particular, President-elect Yoon will be the first president to attend the May 18 Memorial Ceremony after the enforcement of the revised 'Special Act on the May 18 Democratization Movement.' The National Assembly passed the revision last December, adding a clause that those who spread false information about the May 18 Democratization Movement shall be punished by imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won.

At this memorial ceremony, President-elect Yoon is expected to deliver a message urging national integration and harmony for national interests amid increasingly serious international situations. During his campaign in Gwangju as a presidential candidate, Yoon visited the May 18 Cemetery twice and wanted to convey such a message but was unable to do so due to opposition from May Mothers and other May 18-related organizations. However, Yoon said, "Although some people prevented me from offering incense, I paid my respects in my heart to the spirits of our May 18 victims," expressing his intention to visit again.

Due to these actions by President-elect Yoon, he is being evaluated in political circles as different from past conservative government presidents. Since declaring his political participation last year, Yoon has consistently described the May 18 Democratization Movement as "a resistance fought with blood for liberal democracy" without hesitation.

Earlier, ahead of last year's May 18 Democratization Movement Memorial Ceremony, Yoon released a message to some media outlets stating, "May 18 is a living history still ongoing today, commanding strong rejection and resistance against dictatorship and tyranny."

On Constitution Day (July 17) last year, after paying respects at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery in Gwangju, he emphasized the need to insert the May 18 spirit into the preamble of the constitution during constitutional amendment, saying, "When democracy and human rights are violated, we must criticize based on the May 18 spirit. The spirit of May 18 should be sublimated into a universal constitution as the constitutional spirit to honor the souls of the victims."

However, in October last year, when meeting with People Power Party members in Busan, Yoon sparked controversy over so-called 'Jeon Du-hwan defense remarks' by saying, "Many people say that former President Jeon Du-hwan did well in politics except for the military coup and May 18."

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