Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeju to Jointly Respond to Tragic State Violence

Three Southern Provincial Councils That Experienced National Violence Pain Sign Cooperation Agreement

The Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Chairman Jeong Muchang) announced on the 16th that it held a 'Business Agreement Ceremony for the Establishment of the Southern Region Democratic Peace Belt' with the Jeonnam Provincial Council (Chairman Seo Dongwook) and the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council (Chairman Kim Gyeonghak).

This business agreement was prepared with the purpose of jointly responding through solidarity and cooperation among the Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeju regions, which historically suffered from the pain of state violence, to ensure that tragic incidents of state violence never recur.

The three participating regions in the agreement have continuously carried out fact-finding activities such as the enactment of special laws related to the May 18 Democratic Movement, the Yeosu-Suncheon October 19 Incident, and the Jeju April 3 Incident, and have strived to cultivate the values of democracy, human rights, and peace.

Chairman Jeong Muchang said, "This occasion, prepared at the suggestion of the May 18 Special Committee, is very meaningful," and added, "History that is not remembered is bound to repeat itself. Let us work through the power of solidarity to prevent tragic history from repeating."

Seo Dongwook, Chairman of the Jeonnam Provincial Council, said, "Jeonnam and Jeju, which experienced the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident and the April 3 Incident, are twins," emphasizing, "It is a very meaningful act to jointly respond to state violence incidents at the local government level."

Kim Gyeonghak, Chairman of the Jeju Provincial Council, expressed gratitude, saying, "The support and encouragement from the Honam region were a great strength regarding the Jeju April 3 Incident," and added, "Let us join forces to ensure that tragic state violence does not recur."

Jeong Daeun, a member of the May 18 Special Committee who first proposed the Democratic Peace Belt agreement, said, "Democracy that ignores the pain of state violence is meaningless," and added, "I believe today's solidarity will exert great power, and let us start by working together on feasible joint responses such as the opening of the Gwangju-Jeju National Trauma Center."

The councils of the three metropolitan cities and provinces agreed to mutually cooperate in the future for fact-finding, restoration of honor, and mental heritage projects related to state violence incidents in each region, and decided to share related materials and information and conduct cross-regional education.

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