[News Figures] Jeon Du-hwan's Grandson's Visit to 5·18 Cemetery Sparks Talk of 'Willy Brandt'

'Willy Brandt' was the former Chancellor of West Germany and is regarded as a figure who laid the foundation for German reunification. The event that made Willy Brandt world-famous was the 'Kniefall von Warschau (Warsaw Genuflection)'.

On December 7, 1970, during his visit to Warsaw, the capital of Poland, Willy Brandt suddenly knelt down while laying a wreath in front of the memorial honoring the Jews who perished during World War II. This was an apology for the Polish Jews who were victims of the Nazis during World War II. The Polish people were comforted by his act of kneeling on the cold concrete ground in the rainy winter and silently praying for a long time.

Then West German Chancellor Willy Brandt is apologizing in front of the Holocaust memorial during his visit to Poland in 1970.
[Photo by picture alliance/dpa]

Although Willy Brandt’s action was criticized in his own country, it moved not only the Polish people but also the world, becoming an opportunity for the world to forgive Germany. Afterwards, he promoted the reconciliation policy between West Germany and Eastern European countries (Ostpolitik), and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971 for his contribution to easing East-West tensions during the Cold War. His genuflection is still regarded as a groundbreaking act that changed modern German history even after 50 years.

Recently, the actions of Jeon Woo-won (27), the grandson of the late former President Jeon Du-hwan, have become a topic of discussion. On the 31st of last month, Jeon visited the National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery in Unjeong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, and met with figures related to the 5·18 Democratic Movement to apologize. He also expressed his intention to return to Gwangju next week to apologize to the victims of the 5·18 incident.

Kim Beom-tae (70), the director of the Democratic Cemetery who guided Jeon during his visit, said, "This is more meaningful than the apology of West German Chancellor Willy Brandt, who knelt to apologize for the Jewish Holocaust," and added, "Considering the impact Jeon Woo-won’s actions will have on the descendants of the 5th Republic such as Choi Se-chang’s grandson and Jeong Ho-yong’s grandson, it is even more instructive than Willy Brandt’s apology." Kim is also a 5·18 democratic merit recipient who participated as a citizen negotiation representative during the 5·18 Democratic Movement.

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