First Joint Memorial Ceremony After Enforcement of 'Yeosun Special Act' to Be Held in Gwangyang on the 19th

Published 11 Oct.2022 15:51(KST)

Side Events Including 'Night of Remembrance', 'Author Jeong Jia Book Concert', 'Poetry and Painting Exhibition', and 'Original Artwork Exhibition'

First Joint Memorial Ceremony After Enforcement of 'Yeosun Special Act' to Be Held in Gwangyang on the 19th

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] The ‘74th Joint Memorial Ceremony for the Yeosu-Suncheon October 19 Incident,’ the first to be held since the enforcement of the ‘Yeosun Incident Special Act,’ will take place on the 19th at 10 a.m. at the outdoor performance hall in Gwangyang Citizens’ Square.

This joint memorial ceremony is hosted by the Honor Restoration Committee under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Yeosun 10·19 National Bereaved Families Association, and organized by Jeollanam-do, Gwangyang City, and five other cities and counties under the theme ‘74 Years of Tears, We Must Wipe Them Away.’

About 500 people are expected to attend the memorial, including Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety; Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeollanam-do; mayors and county heads; members of the National Assembly; bereaved families; and citizens of Gwangyang.

On the day of the event, the pre-ceremony will begin at 9:45 a.m. with the Gwangyang City Choir singing songs such as ‘Buyongsan,’ and at exactly 10 a.m., a siren will sound for one minute.

Following this, the Jeonnam Provincial Gugak Orchestra will perform a five-minute choral rendition of the memorial song ‘Tear Flower.’ Then, the ceremony will proceed in order with flower offering and incense burning by the president of the National Bereaved Families Association, government representatives, and the Governor of Jeollanam-do; greetings; a progress video; a memorial address by the Minister of the Interior and Safety; memorial performances; and a memorial service.

During the memorial performances, the Jeonnam Provincial Gugak Orchestra will stage a creative performance titled ‘Memory’s Thread, Resurrection of Hope Dance Drama,’ accompanied by stories of the victims.

Notably, among the victim stories, Kim Myung-ja (73 years old) is expected to personally read the sad story of her father, who was the village chief of Okryong-myeon at the time and was killed at Soemori after fleeing to Gwangyang-eup in September 1949.

Since this is the first joint memorial ceremony held in Gwangyang after the enforcement of the ‘Yeosun Special Act,’ the city has designated October 15?21 as ‘Yeosun 10·19 Week’ and will hold various related events.

On the evening of October 18, the day before the joint memorial ceremony, a ‘Night of Remembrance’ is planned at Madong Neighborhood Park at 7 p.m., and on October 19, a ‘Jeong Ji-a Author Book Concert’ under the theme ‘Father’s Liberation Diary’ will be held at the Art Warehouse, which has hosted the Lee Kyung-mo archive exhibition since last year.

Additionally, about 40 original comic artworks related to the Yeosun Incident will be exhibited in the city hall lobby from October 18 to 21, and during the same period, a ‘Poetry and Painting Exhibition’ featuring works by local artists on the Yeosun Incident will be held at the Art Warehouse.

Jung In-hwa, Mayor of Gwangyang, said, “Since this is the first joint memorial ceremony held in Gwangyang after the enforcement of the ‘Yeosun Incident Special Act,’ we have prepared a variety of side events, and to create an appropriate atmosphere, we will display the national flag along major roads and hang memorial banners at the city hall, doing our best to prepare for the event.”

He added, “We actively welcome the decision made by the Yeosun Incident Honor Restoration Committee on the 6th to officially recognize 45 victims and 214 bereaved families, and emphasize the need to amend the Special Act for substantial honor restoration.”

Meanwhile, on September 30, the city delivered a joint petition signed by the heads of six local governments including Gwangyang, Yeosu, and Suncheon, as well as the president of the Yeosun Incident Bereaved Families Association, to the Presidential Office and the National Assembly Speaker’s Office, requesting expanded national support and honor restoration for victims and bereaved families.